Those Seven Months
by nineteennintytwo
Summary: AU. What happened during those secret dates before "It was Just Meant to Be"? A story which proves that Megamind and Roxanne could have fallen in love without Metro Man retiring. MegamindxRoxanne.
1. Start of Something

So considering the amount of positive feedback I got for my one shot, I decided to do something more for it. Sorry guys who asked, but I will not be writing about what happened afterwards, since I think what I wrote was a good place to stop. But one reviewer was curious to know about the secret dates...and instantly, ideas came to me!

I have quite a few in mind, but those are quite serious ones. So I need silly ideas for dates. If any of you have any, feel free to tell me!

These won't be all the dates; these two went out more than what I'll write about (and he kidnapped her a lot more, too).

So I hope you all like this little story!

Disclaimer: Don't own Megamind.

* * *

Start of Something

Roxanne Ritchi didn't want anyone bothering her that day.

Her day had started out like any other day. Woke up, got dressed, had breakfast, prepared herself for another stressful day at work – and judging by her calender, another kidnapping would be happening. What she hadn't predicted was suddenly getting picked up by Metro Man, flown through the air with fireworks all around them with music playing in the background, along with the hero burning the words "will you marry me?" into a nearby field.

Not only did she give him an earful about frightening the life out of her (not even Megamind went _that_ far, and he was the villain), but she also refused him for three reasons alone: she didn't love him, he wasn't her type, and she hated it when men went over the top with these kinds of things. She preferred men who kept it small and simple. Still, she would have refused him even if he _had_.

She had felt slightly bad when he gave her a sad look, lowering her back down again before disappearing from her sight. But it had to be done, and Roxanne preferred to tell someone a brutal truth as opposed to a white lie. She felt even worse the rest of the way to work when people kept staring at her, giving her disapproving looks. Almost as if she was _expected_ to say "yes" despite everything she stood for.

Then things took a turn for the worse. A robotic hand appeared in front of her, from seemingly mid air, and sprayed her face with knock out gas. _Great_.

Usually she didn't mind kidnappings. Once she knew Megamind would never hurt her, she'd found them very amusing, thanks to the goofy blue alien and his fish sidekick. But that day, getting kidnapped meant getting rescued, and getting rescued meant facing Metro Man again.

The spray wore off rather quickly, and Roxanne woke up slung over Minion's shoulder with that bag over her head again. They still hadn't washed it. But Roxanne didn't care; her thoughts were on other things. She had just turned down a marriage proposal from the most powerful man on the planet. She was in her mid-thirties, unmarried and without children. She had promised herself, when she planned her life out, that she would be married by the time she was forty, with at least a child on the way. There was no way she would be getting a date any time soon, and she knew it; it was either married to a superhero or no marriage at all.

The emotions were building up inside her as Minion tied her to the familiar chair, and the emotions continued to build as the bag was removed from her head, her eyes meeting the bright green ones of Megamind, sitting in his leather chair and giving her that evil smile – the one she could never take seriously.

"Miss Ritchi," he spoke. "We meet again."

That was it. The emotions were getting too much to bare, so she turned away from him with her eyes snapped shut, tears forming in her eyes. No, she would _not_ cry in front of her kidnapper. But that didn't stop a single tear escaping one closed eye and trailing down her cheek.

"_I said_, Miss Ritchi, we meet again," Megamind repeated himself, a little more forcefully this time.

Roxanne still didn't respond, and this puzzled Megamind to no end. He knew she wouldn't scream; heck, he'd never even gotten her to scream when he _first_ kidnapped her, so knew she never would. But he still expected her to react in the form of witty comeback or sarcastic comment. She always did. This time, she didn't, and Megamind couldn't deny that he saw a tear running down her cheek.

"Miss Ritchi?" Minion questioned, tenderly laying a robotic hand on her shoulder.

Sighing, Roxanne finally opened her eyes to reveal them bloodshot; a result of holding back the tears that had threatened to show themselves. Megamind was actually taken aback by what she looked like.

"Sorry," she apologized. "Look, could we reschedule? I've had a bad morning, and I could really do without this routine."

"In case you've forgotten, Miss Ritchi, _you_ are at _my_ mercy!" Megamind reminded her, pointing a dramatic finger in the air. "There is _no_ rescheduling! And you're _supposed_ to hate these kidnappings!"

"Oh no, it's not the kidnapping part," Roxanne corrected him. "It's...the rescuing part. Metro Man..."

She trailed off, certain that Megamind of all people didn't need to know this (he was her kidnapper, for crying out loud!); but hearing the mention of his rival's name, the villain was intrigued with what had gone on between them.

"You two had a fight, didn't you?" he guessed with a smug tone in his voice.

"Sort of," the woman replied; she might as well tell him, if there was any hope of him letting her go. "He...proposed to me."

Megamind was shocked to silence.

"You mean... he actually... got on one knee... _praypoosed_?" he stammered, not sure if he could believe it. "You mean I'm gonna have to start calling you Mrs. Metro Man. Or rather, Woman, or-"

"No," she cut him off. "I said no."

If he wasn't shocked before, he certainly was now.

"Wait...what?" he stammered again, rising from his seat. "But I thought you two were-"

"Ugh! Do I have to spell it out for you?" Roxanne groaned. "We. Are. Not. A. Couple. Never have been, never will be. We _were_ only just friends – and I underline 'were' with a big bold line – but he's always wanted us to be something more. Never thought he would go _this_ far! He's just not my type and a don't love him!"

"Then...why were you, er, upset?" Minion spoke up.

"Because I'm having a mid-life crisis, here!" the woman snapped, which caused Minion (and Megamind) to jump back in fear. "Look at me? I'm 35 years old, _unmarried_, no man in my life, and no kids! I promised myself I would be married before I was forty, and that's never gonna happen unless I marry soon. And he's my only choice, but..."

She took in deep breaths, recovering from her outburst, and her head lowered as she began to sob. She no longer cared that Megamind and Minion were still watching. The villain himself was giving her a confused look, unsure what to say. Seeing her in this state of weakness should be like watching a movie to him, but it wasn't. He found that he couldn't stand seeing her like this. Megamind knew he had a crush on her; ever since High School he had, and even though it had hidden itself when the kidnapping days started, it was still there, lingering at the back of his mind and at the bottom of his heart. But at that moment, that little crush resurfaced within moments, and caused him to say words he couldn't stop himself from saying.

"Why don't I marry you?"

Minion was first to react. He let out a strangled scream, staring at his boss in shock and horror. Roxanne's eyes widened and looked up, looking the villain directly in the eye. Only then did it process what he'd just said. And boy, did he panic.

"NO! I mean- you- I- GAH! Minion! Minion! Forget-Me-Stick! Where is it?"

In the middle of the panic attack, Roxanne just sat there, her thoughts not even able to process what had just happened. She couldn't believe it, and yet, she was positive it had happened. Megamind had just asked her to marry him. Roxanne expected herself to shout at him, and maybe even attempt to wriggle from her bounds and pummel his big head into pudding for daring to ask such a question. One he should already know the answer to.

But she shocked herself by not even feeling the _slightest_ bit of anger towards him. She shocked herself even more when she realized that she was actually _considering_ his offer.

Not that she blamed herself. After all, she'd just had a breakdown about dying a spinster and wanting to marry; being honest, she was willing to consider _any_ offer other than Metro Man's. And gazing upon Megamind, who was wildly running about the Lair in a blind panic, she found herself realizing that it could be worse. For a start, Megamind hadn't made a big deal out of it. He had just asked her without doing anything flashy _at all_. And that was a record for him; someone who considered presentation to be _everything_. Then there was the fact that she'd always had a thing for guys with more brain than brawn, something she preferred; and Megamind had the biggest brain she'd ever seen. And of course, last but certainly not least, she was secretly attracted to his dark side (although she would never admit it to anyone in a million years).

Still, Megamind was the guy who had been kidnapping her for, what, twenty years? She couldn't be with him just like that, desperate or not. Not to mention, she realized, that she knew absolutely nothing about him. Only that he was a villain (if she could even call him that) who wanted attention, and who tended to lose all the time. There was also what she'd read about him in books, but she doubted any of those things were true.

Coming back from her train of thought, she found that both Megamind and Minion were _still_ panicking.

"We've looked everywhere! Minion, where did you put it?"

"I _may_ have left it in the invisible car, Sir."

"Then what are you waiting for? GO GET IT!"

"Megamind."

Both the villain in question and his sidekick turned to look at Roxanne, who was giving him a calm look, despite what he said. That alone made him pay attention. He thought she would be trying to kill him after what he'd said.

"I really don't know what to say," she continued. "You're the guy who's kidnapped me too many times to count, and we know nothing about each other. You know I just can't say yes."

Megamind looked down. Rejection was something he was used to, and after what he'd said to her he was expecting it, but being pushed away by Roxanne was just something he couldn't bare...

"But I'm willing to get to know you better if you are."

His green eyes widened. Huh. He wasn't expecting _that_.

"You mean, you..."

Roxanne couldn't help but smile at the childish gleam in his eyes.

"Tell you what," she continued, "why don't you let me go, I'll give you my number, and you can call me later during my lunch break?"

"Call?"

"You know? Cell phone?"

He gave her a blank stare.

"You don't have a cell phone?" she asked, shocked.

"You mean those devices those youths use to talk to each other?" the villain questioned. "No, I don't. But I can make one!"

"In that amount of time?"

"Miss Ritchi, I'm a super genius," he reminded her. "I can make a simple dehydration gun in a day. A simple little shell phone will be a piece of cake."

"_Cell_ phone."

"Yes, that too."

Roxanne shook her head with a smile as Minion untied her. She reached for her purse, taking out her card before handing it to the villain, who just stared at it with awe.

"My lunch break is at one," she told him.

Before either could say more, Roxanne's world went black as Minion sprayed her face once more. But that didn't mean she missed the look of pure excitement on Megamind's face. Yes, this was certainly going to be interesting for both of them.

And so began seven months of dating, which would change both their lives forever.

* * *

I hope that turned out OK! Please review!


	2. First Times

Thanks for all the reviews so far! Here's the next chapter :)

I guess this story could be considered as a "If Metro Man didn't fake his death, would Megamind and Roxanne still have fallen in love?" scenario, now that I think about it.

But anyway, chapters will be either short or long, depending on the date.

Hope you guys like!

* * *

First Times

So Megamind called back later with his newly made cell phone (oh, how he'd bragged about it having more apps than any other phone in the world, including an x-ray, hologram and a stun gun), and after a long conversation, a date was set and arrangements were made. Megamind would wear his holowatch (so as not to ruin both their reputations, although Roxanne admitted that if the situation had been different, she wouldn't have cared in the slightest), and they would just go out for a coffee to keep things slow and simple.

Some days later she was stood in front of her mirror, getting rid of the bed hair from the night before. There'd been a bank robbery which Metro Man had been called to, and since she was the hero's personal reporter (something which she found annoying, but never complained about due to the extra pay), she was called onto the scene, too. It had been a rough night, and it was gone twelve by the time she returned to her apartment and quite literally collapsed on her bed. She didn't wake until ten the next morning.

In the mad rush to get ready she picked up a tube of lip stick, about to apply it, but stopped herself when a thought occurred to her. What was she doing? This was just Megamind; her personal kidnapper, the guy she should hate (although, Roxanne could never really bring herself to completely hate him). He wasn't some guy she was trying to impress. Why would make-up be needed? They were just going out for coffee, anyway. Maybe if it was a restaurant she would have an excuse.

The doorbell rang, bringing her from her daze of staring at herself in the mirror. She jumped, but sighed when she glanced at her watch and realized it must be him. For a moment she hesitated; why was she doing this again? She was about to go on a "date" with a criminal mastermind. She found it odd how fate had led to this, but despite hesitation she made her way over to the door. Admittedly, the reporter inside her had always been curious to know more about the guy who constantly kidnapped her, and this was her chance.

The spy hole revealed a man dressed in jeans, a black leather jacket and a blue top underneath. Yep, definitely Megamind. Roxanne could recognize his bright green eyes anywhere. He also had black hair which was rather messy and looked uncut; she didn't mind. At least, she preferred it to Metro Man's perfect hair. The latch was taken off and Roxanne opened the door, allowing her to get the full picture. She had to admit...his human disguise looked rather handsome.

"Wow, I'm impressed," she admitted, allowing him to step inside. "Although, the colours are a bit of a give away, and your eyes haven't changed."

"I know, that's the only thing I can't perfect!" Megamind sighed, annoyed with himself. "Stupid eyes with their stupid...unchangability! As for the colours...I just make them look good."

He failed to notice the eye roll on Roxanne's part. Typical Megamind. Who he was on the inside hadn't changed at all, even if his outside had. She straightened out the top she was wearing – only to catch herself a few seconds later when she remembered she wasn't trying to impress him. Force of habit, she guessed.

An awkward silence passed between them.

"So," Megamind began, trying to stimulate a conversation, "tell me about this cou-fey house."

"_Coffee_ house," Roxanne corrected. "It's just a small place down the road. Not many people go there any more, ever since they opened a _Starbucks_ across the street, so I thought it would be a good place to go. It would be best for now not to be seen, since people think I'm still dating Metro."

"Yes, we wouldn't want you to lose your job, or anything," Megamind agreed; then when Roxanne raised an eyebrow at him, he stammered. "I mean...if you did I'd have to find a new hostage, and do you know how difficult it is to find a good one? _You're_ not even a good hostage since you _never_ scream!"

"Nice save."

"Who said I was saving anything?"

"Oh, never mind," she sighed. "But before we go, I just wanna lay down a few things. The only time that watch is off is when we're at my place. No where else, even if there's no one around."

"Got'cha."

"If anyone _does_ see us and asks, we're just friends and nothing more."

"Sure thing."

"And no doing anything weird or evil, like dehydrating someone. When we're out and about, you're not Megamind the villain. You're just Megamind. And no cackling!"

"But sometimes I can't help it!"

"Then learn!"

Megamind pouted, and Roxanne was only just able to repress a giggle from escaping her lips. Sometimes he was just too adorable. How could he even _be_ a villain?

"Oh, and before we go," said villain suddenly spoke up, "I might as well tell you my real name."

Roxanne paused and gave him a confused stare. His _real_ name? _Oh, so he hadn't been called Megamind from birth_, she joked to herself. Of course he would have a real name. Who would name their child 'Megamind'?

"It's...Soren."

"Soren?"

"_Don't_ laugh," he warned, pointing a finger at her.

"Why would I?" she admitted. "It's a nice name. Very unique. And it suits you."

Megamind brightened up at her words, and was actually...smiling. Roxanne had seen him smile before – evilly, that is. This was a genuine smile, and it was actually...quite charming. She shook her head to get rid of that thought. He was the villain. She shouldn't be having these thoughts.

"Shall we go, then?" Megamind suggested.

Roxanne nodded, and soon, they were walking down the streets with her leading the way. As they walked, she noticed that whenever someone passed, Megamind would flinch away as if he expected something, but would relax once they passed. With a raised eyebrow the reporter watched; it was strange behaviour (even for Megamind), and she couldn't understand why a supervillain would be doing that.

"Don't worry, they won't bite," she joked, when Megamind flinched away from another couple passing them.

"Sorry," he apologized. "Still need to get used to not being stared at with deadly gazes."

_Ah_. Roxanne understood. Of course anyone with blue skin would get stared at, or even mocked; something which he must have put up with his entire life. It made sense why he would flinch away, even disguised; a force of habit. She pushed the coffee shop door opened and stepped inside, Megamind right behind her. Five minutes later they were sat at a table at the back with a cup of coffee each and a plate of doughnuts. Roxanne watched with an amused smirk as Megamind stuffed one in his mouth, followed by him tipping a very large amount of sugar into his coffee.

"Sweet tooth?" she guessed.

"My body needs more sugar than yours, therefore I have to consume three times as much," he explained between mouthfuls. "Even more in my case, since I'm always using up my energy."

It made sense, Roxanne realized. He certainly needed a lot of energy when battling Metro Man. It also explained his over-hyped personality and how he always seemed to be jumping up and down like a child on sugar high – which in a way, he was. But this also brought up another issue.

"That's another thing," she began. "I think the kidnappings and schemes still need to continue, despite this. Otherwise people will grow suspicious, Metro Man especially. I mean, he's not the brightest cell in the brain department, but he's not stupid, either."

"Couldn't agree more," he agreed. "I wouldn't be me without an evil plot every week."

"Seriously, how can you think those up in the space of a week? Which leads onto how you can set it all up in such a short length of time?"

"That's what my intellect, Minion and Brainbots are for."

The conversation went from there, and even though Roxanne wasn't even keeping track of time, she knew that the two of them were sat there for at least a couple of hours talking. They never seemed to run out of topics. Several empty cups of coffee sat on the table in front of them, as well as a few empty plates, as the two of them laughed over a story Megamind had just finished telling. Megamind stopped laughing first in surprise; Roxanne...had a wonderful laugh.

"What?" she asked, when she noticed him staring at her.

"Oh, sorry, it's just..." he stumbled over his words, "...I've never heard you laugh before."

"Yeah, it's been a while," she agreed. "Feels pretty good."

_God, when __was__ the last time I laughed?_ Roxanne couldn't remember. But like she'd said; it felt good. She wasn't surprised that it was Megamind who had finally made her laugh; he had almost done so in some of his goofier schemes, and Roxanne had only been able to hold back her laughter.

The pair eventually left and walked back to Roxanne's apartment block. With no reason to go back up, Megamind decided just to say goodbye outside the entrance.

"I...had a great time," Roxanne told him, a little hesitant.

"Yeah," he agreed, just as hesitant as her. "Me too."

There was an awkward pause.

"So...I'll call you tomorrow."

"Oh. Yes. I'd...like that."

With a nod, he turned and walked away, leaving Roxanne watching with a slight smile on her face. She sighed as her mind replayed their "date"; it had actually gone a lot better than she thought it would. She thought that despite his promise, he would act like his usual self, cackling evilly and bouting into an evil monologue. But he hadn't; he'd actually behaved like a normal guy would, and in some ways, better. And to her surprise, she found that she had actually..._enjoyed_ talking to him. They hadn't even gotten into talking about his past. Oh well. There was always a next time.

_Next time?_ Despite what she'd said, Roxanne suspected that there wouldn't even _be_ a next time before the date. But now...she was actually looking forwards to it.

"Miss Ritchi?"

The woman in question turned her attention to Carlos, her doorman, who was waiting patiently with the door open. Thankfully he didn't question who Megamind was as she passed him, walking inside with a small smile on her face.

* * *

Yes, I was watching 'Legend of the Guardians' when I decided upon his name ;) I thought it suited him, and I was going to use it for another story idea, and when I needed a name for this one, I thought 'what the heck'. I didn't really want to use 'Syx' since admittedly, it's a little overused.

Reviews make me happy!


	3. Valentine's Day

So I just had to do a quick one for Valentine's Day. Yes, this is a short one; like I said, these chapters will be ranging in length, depending on the date.

Happy Valentine's Day, people!

* * *

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day. Once upon a time, it had been a day Roxanne looked forwards to; when she would make a card for her dad along with an attempt at Breakfast in Bed. But of course, those younger days were gone. Now she was older, the day was rather cringe-worthy anyway she looked at it. Random Valentine's Day cards from some of her fans, who watched the news _only_ for her; the usual gift from Hal, which most of the time was something which made her want to turn invisible in embarrassment (last year it had been a can of chocolate paste which she knew _wasn't_ for eating normally); and of course, there was Metro Man's extravagant gift, whatever it was.

Thankfully the last thing on the list was scribbled out; the hero was still keeping his distance after the failed proposal and Roxanne was glad, but she doubted it would last for long. He'd soon be flirting with her again, not to mention another kidnapping from Megamind. She rolled her eyes at the thought as she prepared for work. Neither he nor Hal seemed to be capable at taking a hint that she _wasn't interested_. After checking herself in the mirror, she discarded the unwanted Valentine's Day cards into the trash before making her way to the door. Opening it, she let out a startled cry.

For right outside her door stood Megamind, his holowatch set to his human disguise. With his hand raised in the air she guessed he was just about to ring the doorbell, and like her, jumped with a startled cry at the door suddenly opening. The pair regained their breaths while Roxanne gave the villain an odd look; their coffee date wasn't until Saturday. What was he doing here?

"You startled me," she breathed, hand on her chest. "Why are you here?"

"Well, err," he began hesitantly, scratching the back of his head, "I was just doing villainous things in my Lair this morning, when I checked my _coo-len-dor_ and realized that it was that…lovey dovey holiday you humanoids celebrate. _Vol-oion-times_ Day, or something like that."

"_Valentine's_ Day."

"Yes, right," he continued. "And as you know, I usually do a special plan to destroy the _Vol-oion-times_ Day spirit, complete with kidnapping, but since I'd forgotten about it I...it was on very short notice...but..."

Arms crossed, eyebrows raised and leaning against the door frame, Roxanne watched with an amused smirk as he stumbled over his words. It amazingly went on for a few minutes before Megamind finally had the courage to bring his hand out from behind his back, revealing a single red rose with a label attached.

"This does _not_ mean I'm going soft before you say _anything!_" he insisted. "I just wanted to show...well...I mean...no hard feelings...if you know what I mean...since I've been kidnapping you for so long...I...wanted to...er...thank you for, er...you know...giving me this chance..."

Roxanne realized that if she didn't stop him soon he'd be babbling on all day and she'd _never_ get to work. So, she stepped forwards, took the rose from his hand and gave him a quick peck on his left cheek. That usually shut men up. The kiss worked its magic; Megamind stopped talking, and stood glued to the spot in a daze. Shock filled his features.

"I have to get to work," Roxanne informed, turning to go. "I'll see you on Saturday."

* * *

Later on, Roxanne sat at her desk typing, the single rose settled in a tall vase full of water. She only remembered that the label was still attached when a co-worker came up to her desk and took a look at it.

"Who's Soren?" the woman asked.

"Oh, just a friend," Roxanne replied.

The woman walked away, oblivious to the slight smile creeping across Roxanne's lips.


	4. Fairly Standard Childhood

This chapter is a look into Megamind's past. Not all of the theory is mine; how his planet is destroyed is a theory borrowed from FantasyBard's story _First Contact_, which I've modified slightly. I've also borrowed the name of Metro Man's race from that story too, but the name of Megamind's race I've borrowed from KittyBatman, which was mentioned in her story _Hectic Schedule_.

I hope you all like this one!

* * *

Fairly Standard Childhood

Saturday rolled around, and once again, Megamind and Roxanne were sat in the coffee shop right at the back, with twelve empty cups of coffee discarded on the table in front of them, along with several empty plates. And once again, the pair were chatting away, having completely lost track of time. Megamind was recounting the story of how he'd once started a prison raid when he was a toddler, and this made Roxanne remember her curiosity; she still wanted to know about his past. Her reporter skills wanted to test the Nature vs. Nurture theory, because even when he was kidnapping her, she could see that he wasn't evil by nature.

"So you grew up in prison?" she questioned. "How did that happen?"

"It's...a long story," Megamind began, his head down.

"You can tell me," she assured him. "Like I promised at the beginning; everything you say to me is said in confidence, and I'm not gonna use it against you in any way, or report it. I'm not a sleazy reporter like those paparazzi people."

"They're even nosier than you, and that's saying something," he admitted.

Roxanne laughed, which brought a small smile to Megamind's lips. He couldn't understand why he had become so addicted to the sound of her laughter.

"But really, you can trust me," she continued.

Megamind gave this some thought. He'd never told anyone about his past. It'd had such a huge effect on him – shaped who he was – that it was painful to remember. If he would ever be totally honest with himself, he would admit that he never wanted to be a villain. All he ever wanted was attention, and to be noticed for his gifts. But when people never listened when he showed them the right way, he moved onto doing it the wrong way; in other words, being bad. He got attention, but the wrong kind. It was better than nothing and he lived with that.

And now, Roxanne was asking to know about said past. Could he trust her? She had assured him already that she would not tell a soul, but still, could he? Her eyes spoke truth, he noticed. _Were her eyes always this captivating?_

Eventually, and with a deep exhalation of air, he gave in.

"I might as well start from the beginning," he began. "Minion and I come from a planet on the other side of the galaxy. All I remember of it was that it was blue, and that the Ateron race – my race – were an enhanced race who specialized in technology. But when I was eight days old something...happened. The sun our quadrant was orbiting was close to death; it probably had a hundred years left or so, and my race were preparing escape pods for when that happened. But Metro Man's race, the Nyrans, decided to take things into their own hands. Too empty-headed and proud for their own good! The lot of them!"

"How do you remember all this?" Roxanne asked. "You were only eight days old at the time."

"Since my brain is bigger, it keeps memories better than humans," he explained. "And Minion is older than me, so knew and understood what was going on. But anyway, the Nyrans decided to use the technology my race had given them to try and reignite our sun's core. My kind did warn them not to; not only did they not fully understand our technology, but no one should ever interfere with the Universe. But they didn't listen, and you can probably guess what happened afterwards. It practically killed the sun, and turned it into a black hole a century early."

Roxanne was stunned. She couldn't even begin to think about that happening to Earth.

"How did you escape?" she asked.

"My father was one of the many Aterons building and testing escape pods," Megamind continued. "He just so happened to have a small test pod on hand, big enough for me and Minion. So right before my planet was sucked into oblivion, my parents placed the two of us into the pod and sent us away faster than the speed of light. We weren't alone; another pod soon joined us in our escape, containing Metro Man. Even though I hate him, it was nice to know that there were at least two Nyrans who were smart enough to think to save their child. Our pods were on course for the nearest planet which had intelligent life, which just so happened to be Earth. My pod was heading for the Scott mansion, but then you-know-who's pod decided to knock Minion and I off course and landed the good life instead. We ended up landing in prison."

"But what I don't get is why they kept you there," Roxanne spoke up. "I mean, prison isn't exactly the best place to raise a baby."

"Maybe a normal human baby, but look at me," Megamind replied. "I think Warden knew that the big wide world would have turned on me if I was let out, so he kept me in until I was old enough to go to _shool_."

"School."

"Tomato, potato," he said back (missing Roxanne's eye roll and shaking head). "That's where I ran into Mr. Goodie-Two-Shoes again. He already had an army of soft-headed groupies, teacher included, who all turned on me once I arrived. I was always blamed whenever there was trouble, always standing in the corner, always the last one picked for everything. Metro Man sucked up to everyone, and didn't even _try_ to make friends. The teacher was a lot worse. I'm pretty sure she was racist."

Listening, Roxanne found that she felt...sorry for him. No one deserved a past like his; she wouldn't even wish it upon her own worst enemy. It also made her understand why he was bad; he had been treated like a bad boy all his life, so it made sense that in the end, it was all he saw himself as. Bad.

"That's when I realized that being bad was the only thing I was good at," Megamind finished. "If people wanted me to be the bad boy, then I was going to be the baddest boy of them all!"

"But did you _want_ to be the bad boy?"

Megamind gave her a blank look.

"What sort of question is that?" he asked. "We don't choose these things. Fate lays out a path for us, and we have to follow it. If we don't, then what purpose do we have?"

"That's a load of rubbish," Roxanne stated. "We choose our fates for ourselves. If you don't want to be something, then you don't have to be it, no matter what other people say."

This made Megamind think. He wondered what his life could have been like if he _had_ landed in the Scott mansion, or even landed into a family who, by some miracle, accepted him for who he was. To think, he could have led a normal life, had a normal future; maybe, shuddering as the thought was, he may have even ended up being the _hero_! Roxanne could be right, but he still thought it was his fate to become the villain, wherever he landed.

Then he looked down, and found that Roxanne was holding his hand across the table.


	5. Mother Knows Best

So as you can see, this is one of my longer chapters. Here we get to meet Roxanne's mother, who some of you are familiar with in _Acceptance_ and _Fate_. Yes, I'm using the same character in this story (I felt it unnecessary to create a new one), but Roxanne doesn't have a sister in this.

I hope you all like!

* * *

Mother Knows Best

Weeks passed, and the dates continued. After the fourth, Roxanne thought it was time to try going some place else; the library was one, since they knew that no one would think anything of them or disturb them (apart from a cranky old librarian who kept on telling them to be quiet or leave), but they visited other places, too. The food court in the mall, the park, and even the Metro Man museum (despite only visiting Megamind's section, that date didn't turn out so well as the villain complained about how everyone had gotten so many things wrong about him, which he made clear to the museum curator, Bernard). The kidnappings continued, of course, although they were a little more "suggestive" when it came to the banter between the pair, and Megamind didn't threaten her with machines nearly as much as he used to.

He didn't want to admit it out loud, but he was actually enjoying himself with her. Deep down, he had always wanted to know what it was like to be normal, and with Roxanne, he finally could. It was wonderful, walking through the streets and not getting stared at or mocked; and another thing he didn't want to admit out loud, was that he actually liked the idea of people not screaming and running at the sight of him. By March he was thanking the powers of the universe that he had popped the question that day. Because now he was free to be himself under the cover of another; of course, he could have done that without Roxanne, but it wouldn't have been the same. He needed another human to spend time with; someone who would show him the world which had rejected him for so many years.

Roxanne herself was also enjoying his company. It had come as a surprise at first, but soon she grew used to it. It wasn't too unfamiliar; although she would never tell anyone, she had sort of enjoyed his company when he kidnapped her, in a weird and unusual way. She didn't have many friends so there wasn't really anyone for her to talk to; Metro Man would constantly brag about himself, Hal would flirt with her to no end, and her friends from high school and college would just go on and on about how lucky she was that she was dating a superhero. Megamind did neither (he did brag, but in an amusing way, and his flirting was more fun and exciting rather than annoying). Instead he kept her on her toes and actually gave her mind a challenge.

Getting to know him better was also proving to be a mind-blowing experience for her brain. His past made her understand why he'd become a villain, and also made her feel sorry for him. To think, if people had put their prejudices aside, judged him by who he was on the inside and accepted him, then he could be leading a decent life. Heck, he could be creating technology for NASA, or working for one of those companies in Japan! And learning that he was actually a charming, intelligent and funny guy underneath all the leather made her want more.

_Be careful where you step, Roxanne Ritchi, _she told herself as she sat in her living room, waiting for her next date with the villain. She hadn't forgotten the reason why they were doing this; the proposal. Despite realizing how much of a great guy Megamind was, she knew that she could never really be with him. Her plan was to go out on more dates, then before things could get too serious, she'd pull him aside and gently tell him that she can't marry him, but would love to stay friends. Then maybe she could steer him away from the path of a villain and into a more legal life, finally ending the endless game that had been going on for years. It meant getting Metro Man out of the way too, and she'd _finally_ be able to start dating again.

But she didn't want to end the dates with him just yet. She was enjoying herself, and from the happy expression on his face whenever she saw him, he was enjoying himself, too. And she couldn't bare to wipe that rare smile off his face for the time being.

A knock came at the door. Straightening out her blouse she stood up and crossed the apartment to open it, but not before looking through the spy hole first, just in case it wasn't him. It was him, but not how she expected to see him.

"What happened to your disguise?" she asked, shutting the door once he was safely inside. "You know we can't go out with you looking like that."

"I can explain," he began. "But before I do, er...your doorman wouldn't let me up, so..."

He held out a dehydrated cube. Roxanne knew it was Carlos, but found that despite the situation, she couldn't be mad at Megamind. He only wanted to see her, and he did look rather guilty about it. And she knew dehydration doesn't hurt from personal experience (an experience she would rather forget than remember).

"I'll rehydrate him later; he needs a break, anyway," she sighed, placing the cube carefully on the kitchen side. "So, about the disguise..."

"Well, _someone_ – and by someone, I mean a certain fish – wasn't watching where he was going," Megamind explained. "He was carrying my morning coffee, didn't see the many wires on the floor that have _always_ been there, and ended up tripping over one. Spilt the coffee all over me, including the watch. It short circuited and I knew I wouldn't fix it in time."

"Don't you have a spare?" Roxanne asked.

"That _was_ the spare," he replied. "One of the newer Brainbots found my first one last night and chewed it to pieces. That's now _two_ things I have to fix tonight."

"You can't fix a watch in a couple of hours and yet, you can create your own cell phone with added apps the Japanese would kill to get within two hours?" she questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Those shell phones are far too simple," Megamind resorted with a wave of his hand. "Even the Japanese ones are nothing compared to the baby I've created. I've added some brand new apps, if you want to have a look?"

"Maybe later," Roxanne told him. "But since we can't go out, why don't we just hang out here? We could maybe watch a few movies, have a home made dinner. It would be nice seeing you without the disguise."

"Are you saying you miss this handsome devil?"

"'_Saying_' isn't a strong enough word. More like '_implying_'."

They were interrupted by Roxanne's cell phone ringing. Excusing herself, she flipped it open to answer it as Megamind drifted away to inspect the rest of her apartment.

"This is Roxanne Ritchi."

"_Roxanne? No need to sound so formal, honey. It's just me._"

Roxanne sighed and held her hand to her forehead. It was her mother. She hadn't heard from her in a long time, and she suspected what this was going to be about. Her mother had been a reporter too, after all. She was surprised she hadn't found out sooner.

"Hi, Mother," she greeted the elder woman on the other end. "Anything up?"

"_Yes, there is something up,_" her mother replied. "_I should have called you first, but I knew you would want to avoid it and busy yourself when I arrived._"

Roxanne's eyes widened. _No, she can't be..._

"Where are you, Mother?" she asked with a dreading tone in her voice.

"_Walking up the stairs of your apartment block. I want to talk to you, and I want to do it in person. By the way, where's that lovely doorman of yours? He wasn't there._"

The young woman's eyes bulged like saucers and she snapped her heard round to look at Megamind. No, her mother couldn't find him here! She wouldn't be able to explain him being in her apartment! She knew how her mother would react; putting that together with how she sounded, it was a recipe for disaster. But Megamind couldn't leave; her mother was already half way up the stairs, so she'd see him leaving. There was the balcony, but the villain hadn't brought his hover bike.

"_I'll be up in a few minutes,_" he mother ended, before hanging up.

Panicked, Roxanne scanned her apartment. She had to hide Megamind, and she only had a few minutes.

"Everything all right?" Megamind asked, once he noticed that Roxanne was done talking on the phone.

"You have to hide."

"Why?"

"Because that was my mother," Roxanne explained. "She's coming up the stairs as we speak, and believe me when I say that if she sees you, the end result won't be pretty. Putting it lightly, she hates your guts."

"Gee, thanks."

"Well, you do kidnap her daughter on a regular basis. She has a legitimate reason."

Roxanne continued to look round as she spoke. She knew that when her mother visited, she liked to look in every room just to make sure her daughter was keeping her apartment clean and not hiding anything, so she couldn't hide the villain in one of the rooms. But there was one place her mother never looked...

"Quick, in here!" she hissed, urging him to get inside her storage closet.

It was filled with old boxes, some overflowing with Christmas decorations while others were labelled as '_Old photos_' or '_Old toys_' or '_Roxanne's junk_'. Megamind just stared at the room with a quirked eyebrow.

"You want me to go in _there?_" he questioned as if the idea was crazy.

"Well it's either that or my mother beats the hell out of you. She's a black belt in karate."

"I'm going, I'm going."

Once she slammed the door behind him, Roxanne rested her back against it, rubbing her face out of annoyance. She really didn't need this. She had only just gotten over the stress of Metro Man proposing to her, and she didn't need it brought up again by her woman-in-her-ways mother who never really listened to what she had to say and wanted to do. A deep sigh escaped her lips.

A knock came at the door.

_Speak of the she-devil..._

Nasty thoughts aside, Roxanne took her time walking to the door before opening it to reveal Rebecca Ritchi standing there with a sour expression.

"Roxanne."

_Yep. I'm done for. _

"Mother."

Rebecca invited herself in without a word, and Roxanne screwed her eyes shut whilst biting her lip as she shut the door. She stayed put for a few moments, trying to think up a good explanation; her mother knew about her life plans, so faking those was a no go. By the time she turned her mother had already set her bag down and was inspecting her apartment.

"Nice to see you've kept this place clean," she observed, disappearing into the bedroom to have a nose about.

Roxanne stood watching in silence as her mother looked though her draws and wardrobe, before moving onto the bathroom.

"I do know how to keep my house clean, Mother," the reporter spoke up. "I'm not a college student. Even when I was I still kept it clean."

"I know, but I'm just making sure," Rebecca replied as she moved onto the kitchen.

Whilst she was peeking into the cupboards and the fridge, Roxanne stole a glance over at the storage closet where Megamind was hiding. She only hoped he'd stay quiet; even after retirement, her mother's reporter skills were still on line, possibly even more so now than usual. Any slight noise would draw her attention. When she saw her mother heading over to said closet, she snapped back to attention and tried not to panic.

"Mother, why don't you sit down and I'll make you some tea?" she suggested, helping her mother sit on the couch.

"What do you keep in there again?" her mother asked, eyes still peeled on the closet. "It's been so long since I looked in it."

"Oh, just my Christmas decorations and old toys," Roxanne replied quickly; she purposely left out the old photos, knowing that her mother would probably want to look through those.

Thankfully the stuff she mentioned weren't interesting enough, so Rebecca's attention turned to other matters. _And hopefully it'll stay that way_, Roxanne hoped, despite knowing what those 'other matters' were.

"Roxanne, when I moved out of the city, I did so because I could trust you to make the right choices," the older woman began, as Roxanne re-entered the room with two cups of tea. "But I was apparently wrong. Your boyfriend called me at the end of January, asking if he could ask you to marry him. I said yes, of course. I never heard back from you about your answer, so I just assumed that he hadn't asked you yet."

She took a sip of her tea, and Roxanne couldn't help but notice how much she resembled one of those Victorian ladies – in more ways than one.

"But then I heard from a friend that he had asked you, and that you had refused him," she continued. "I said it was utter nonsense, until I called your boyfriend and he said so himself. All I want to know is why? Why did you refuse him when he has so much to offer you?"

"For starters, Mother," Roxanne replied, "he's not my boyfriend. We're just friends. Or rather, _were_ just friends."

"Even if he was I would have expected you to say yes," her mother informed, trying to keep calm. "Roxanne, he's a superhero, and you're a reporter. It's inevitable. You two are destined to be together. And unless you get that in your head you'll never have a future. Your life will be purposeless."

That got Roxanne angry. How dare her mother say such a thing!

"Mother we are not a couple, and never will be!" she raised her voice, shooting up from her seat. "For starters, he's not my type; he's all muscle and no brain! I doubt he even _has_ a brain cell in his body! Not only that, but I can't say yes just because it's expected of me! It's not my life if someone else is making my decisions for me! I don't even love him!"

"It's not about love, Roxanne," Rebecca shot back firmly. "It's about security. And you can't be any more secure if you're with him."

"What is this, 1865?" Roxanne demanded. "You and Dad loved each other!"

Her mother flinched at the mention of her late husband, but remained strong.

"We got lucky."

"That doesn't change anything, you still love him," Roxanne continued. "The point is, when people are with each other, it's because they're in love, not because it's expected of them. I can never love Wayne, Mother. Not now, not ever. Heck, I'd rather date Megamind!"

There was a crash from inside the closet, but thankfully Rebecca was too stunned to notice.

"You'd rather date that evil, blue-headed freak?" she gasped.

"At least he treats me like an equal rather than a damsel."

"He treats you like a victim."

"Oh, if only you knew, Mother."

Rebecca was at a loss for words, but was able to regain herself enough to calm down, taking in a deep breath. She shuddered when the mental image of her daughter and Megamind appeared in her head.

"If Wayne asks you again, you're going to say yes," she said with force.

"Mother, I'm 35 years old," Roxanne shot back. "You can't tell me what to do."

"Well, you're not getting any younger!" Rebecca snapped.

That was the last straw. This brought back memories from a month before, when Roxanne had that breakdown about dying a spinster. She knew that her mother was right, but it was the only thing she was right about. She was in the wrong when it came to everything else she'd said.

"I think you should leave," was all she said.

"Gladly."

Rebecca let herself out. Standing alone, Roxanne barely registered that she'd left; she remained still, her gaze glued to the floor as she tried to fight back the tears that were burning in her eyes. She didn't even notice when Megamind came tumbling out the closet, some of the boxes and Christmas decorations falling out behind him. He quickly leapt up and brushed himself off before he noticed that Roxanne hadn't even told him off yet. He saw the expression on her face.

"Roxanne," he began, in a voice that was unlike himself as he crossed the room towards her, "are you all right?"

"Yes," she replied. "It's just...ugh! My mother! How can she even _be_ like that! She has _no right_ telling me what to do!"

She allowed herself to collapse onto the couch, resting her head in her hands.

"My life is stressful enough without her trying to tell me how to live it."

There was silence. Then Roxanne felt the couch dip next to her as Megamind took a seat. Deep down, Roxanne wanted him to wrap an arm around her and offer her comfort, like a friend would do, but she knew he wasn't that type of man. He may be charming and sweet underneath all the leather, but he wasn't that open quite yet.

"Is this your father?"

Roxanne finally looked up to see that he was holding one of the photos in his hands. It was of her when she was about six, sitting on her father's shoulders whilst on a trip to the zoo. Elephants stood in the background, while in the foreground both she and her father were smiling. The picture brought back pleasant memories, and Roxanne smiled in reflection to her younger self in said picture.

"Yes," she replied. "I was upset because Mother was called into work that day, so Dad took the day off and cheered me up with a trip to the zoo. He always put me first before his job. With Mother, it tended to be the other way round. But I know she still loved me."

"What's it like to have parents?"

For a moment, Roxanne was silent, thinking over how she could answer that question.

"I'm...not really sure how to explain it," she admitted. "Well...I guess it's like what you and Minion have. We're always there for each other, and even though sometimes we fight, we all love one another, and that's what really matters. Having parents is something we take for granted, because they're always there, and it's when they're not there that we realize how much we depended on them. At least, that's how I felt when Dad..."

She couldn't finish, but Megamind understood. It had been a couple of years back when he'd come to kidnap her, only to find her in a state because her father had suffered from a heart attack and died. He'd left her alone for a month after that, knowing all too well what it was like to lose parents.

"So you still love your mother?" he asked.

"It's complicated with her," Roxanne explained. "She's still my mother, after all, but sometimes she just drives me insane. What you heard is a good example of that. She never used to be like this when I was younger; these views seemed to develop when I was in high school. I just wish she'd give me a break."

Silence hung in the air for a moment, before Roxanne stood back up again.

"So," she began, her mood completely changed, "what movie do you wanna watch?"

Megamind was glad that things were a little more happier, and preferred for it to stay that way for the rest of the night. And a movie was a good way to keep the happy mood.

"What moo-vees do you have?"

So the two of them stayed up until midnight watching movies, and ended up falling asleep against one another – boy, was it embarrassing for both of them when they woke up the next morning.

* * *

Please review!


	6. Rock and Rolling

So here's the next chapter. Little shorter than the last one.

Also, did anyone see the lost scene that was released? Minion's face was just priceless! If anyone hasn't I'll post it over at the forum :)

* * *

Rock and Rolling

A week and a kidnapping later, Roxanne was leaning against her kitchen worktop, drinking a steaming cup of coffee, when her cell phone made a beeping noise to signify that she had a text. Opening it up, she saw that it was from Megamind. Which was odd; usually he called her, so it was a first. Shrugging it off she opened it up.

_Just broke out of jail. Got some free time before the next plot. Want to go somewhere? LOL :)_

Roxanne raised an eyebrow at the ending, but also smiled at the irony of it all. That outside the kidnappings and the plots, the two of them were hanging out like colleagues would, or if looked at it another way, like a couple would. The woman herself preferred the former. The kidnappings were like a sort of second job for her, anyway.

Her mind wandered as she thought about what they could do, before deciding upon something she hadn't done since she was a little girl. And it was a good opportunity; the rolling rink had been reopened after having some work done to it. She knew because she had been doing a report on it a couple of days before, and she knew Megamind would know because he had swept in and kidnapped her just as she'd been finishing up. So with that she pressed the reply button and typed in her text.

_Mt u at d rollin rink. Dere's somit I wnt u 2 try. C u der. _

She pressed send and waited for his reply. Instead, Nicole Scherzinger's _Supervillain_ suddenly began to play on her phone (a ring tone Roxanne hoped Megamind would never hear), and she saw his name light up on the screen. Answering the phone she wondered what he wanted; maybe he wanted to go somewhere else, instead.

"Yes, Megamind?" she asked.

"_Are the buttons on your phone broken?_" he asked back, with all seriousness.

Roxanne's eyes widened, completely bemused.

"Um...no," she replied with a confused tone in her voice. "What makes you think that?"

"_Because the text you sent me makes absolutely no sense!_" he complained. "_I mean, what does 'mt' stand for? 'C' and 'u' aren't supposed to be used on their own, and 'dere's' isn't even a word!_"

For a few moments Roxanne was silent, staring at nothing in particular in front of her, with her mouth open slightly. But then it sunk in and she burst out laughing. She should have known; Megamind had never owned a phone before until now, so it made sense that he didn't understand texting lingo. He had after all, figuratively speaking, been locked away from the outside world all his life.

"_Why are you laughing?_" the villain demanded, his voice raising in volume at his apparent anger. "_Is this some sort of joke to you? You wanted to make the super genius feel stupid?_"

"I mean no offence when I say that you're a little more stupid than you think you are," she replied. "That was texting lingo. People use it whenever they text. It's kind of like another whole written language."

"_Oh,_" he spoke, and Roxanne could tell that he was a little embarrassed about his outburst. "_But why can't they text normally?_"

"Because it's easier and faster to use abbreviations instead of waste time typing something which could resemble and English Essay," she explained.

"_Well that's just stupid!_" he complained again. "_How does anyone read this stuff? It's impossible!_"

"You get used to it eventually," Roxanne informed. "I should have known, since you misused 'LOL'."

"_I did not._"

"Do you even know what it means?" she challenged.

"_Yes, it means 'Lots of love', so there._"

That caused Roxanne to freeze, unsure what to make of it. Honestly, it wasn't the fact that Megamind had misunderstood the term which made her shocked to a stone. It was the fact that he had actually used it and the end of the text he'd sent to _her_. It could have been like when writing Christmas cards, where one puts 'lots of love' on every card, no matter who they're sending it to. It would make more sense, but for some reason, Roxanne doubted it was this.

"_Roxanne? Are you still there?_"

Roxanne was brought back by Megamind still on the other end, and blinked a few times as she brought a hand up to her forehead.

"Yes, I'm still here," she replied. "Anyway, what I meant to say was for you to meet me at the rolling rink. There's something I want you to try."

"_Isn't that where I last kidnapped you?_"

"Bang on."

_Boy, this is gonna feel weird, going back to the place where I was kidnapped, with the same guy who had done the kidnapping. _

"_OK, I'll meet you there in a short while. LOL,_" he said, before he hung up.

Roxanne blushed.

* * *

Half an our later the two of them walked inside the newly refurbished building, Megamind wearing his usual disguise and the same old clothing. Roxanne had raised an eyebrow at it with amusement.

"Are you ever going to change your clothing?" she asked, once they were inside and she'd paid. "People are going to think you never change your clothes, and that's not really a good thing."

"It's not like I can," he explained. "This is only a hologram, after all. Do you know how long it took for me to perfect this disguise, let alone adding on different clothing for it?"

"But I've seen you with different disguises all the time?"

"That was as other people, it's easy to just scan them in," he continued. "With this I had to play around with it, getting the perfect disguise if I ever just wanted to blend in. Like now."

Roxanne understood. She could tell that he liked the idea of blending in for once instead of being looked down upon just because of his appearance, despite him not admitting it outright. She couldn't imagine how hard it was for him, forever an outcast and never able to be treated fairly. A man behind the desk handed her two pairs of roller skates and the pair sat down.

"So we're going skatering?" Megamind asked, staring at the skates intently.

"Skating," Roxanne corrected him. "I used to do it a lot with my friends in middle school. It's good fun."

"Do we need knee and elbow pads and helmets?"

"No, just good balance."

Once the skates were on they took to the floor. But while Roxanne was at ease, her legs moving from side to side like a professional, Megamind's arms were flying all over the place, as were his legs. Two boys skating past at a speedy pace were enough to completely knock him off balance, and he landed with a thud on his backside. Roxanne couldn't suppress the giggle that escaped from between her lips.

"I'm glad you find it funny," the villain muttered, trying to pick himself up.

Roxanne grabbed his arms and helped.

"It just takes practice," she explained.

Megamind suddenly slipped again, but instead of falling, Roxanne was able to catch him and grab onto the side at the same time. But as this happened, they faces ended up being just inches apart, their noses almost touching. And when the two of them noticed, they blushed furiously. They stared into each other's eyes, blue into green, and neither moved for what could have been minutes. Finally they pulled away from one another, Roxanne still holding onto Megamind until she was sure he could steady himself.

"Sorry," he apologized.

"No, it's OK," she assured him. "This is your first time, and we can't have you falling and hurting something. Who'd kidnap me then?"

They chuckled together; Megamind almost fell over again, but his grip on the side saved him. Watching his legs move awkwardly, Roxanne realized that this was a bad idea. She should have known; Megamind was clumsy enough during kidnappings, so putting him on roller skates would just be a recipe for disaster.

"Why don't I just stay here and watch you?" the villain suggested, still gripping the side with white knuckles. "That way I can watch and learn."

Roxanne agreed and took off, faster than Megamind thought was possible for her. She circled the room with the rest of the crowd, and when she began doing little twirls, Megamind realized that she'd done this before, and not in the way she had told him about. It was almost like she'd had lessons, or something. She gave him a giddy smile when she skated back to him.

"Show off," he teased. "How did you learn to do all that?"

"I used to do ice skating when I was a little girl," Roxanne replied. "I have to admit, it's a lot easier than this, since there's one blade. But I hated it."

"You did?" he questioned in surprise. "But you're so good at it."

"Only because I was forced in a way," she explained. "Ever since I was five, my parents always signed me up for ice skating every year. I never looked forwards to it. I was always cold, and one time I fell and sprained my wrist. But I felt like I had to do it, because my parents wanted me to. After I sprained my wrist, though, I decided to do something about it. So I walked right up to my dad and said, "Dad, I hate ice skating, and I don't wanna do it any more". And do you know what he said?"

Megamind shook his head.

"It was about time I told him so," Roxanne continued. "He knew that I didn't like it, but he wanted me to tell him that myself. To teach me to stand up for myself; that if I don't want to do something, I don't have to do it because people tell me to, or expect it of me."

"So that's where you learned that," Megamind realized.

"Mm-hmm," she replied. "Come to think about it, it was afterwards that my mother started acting like what you heard the other day. I guess she realized that because I'd learnt that lesson, I might grow up and do something she wouldn't approve of. I know she was only looking out for me, but she really needs to back off."

"What about your dad?"

"My dad was the opposite," she continued. "He told me that he would be proud of me no matter what; he's kind of like me and my beliefs. He never judged a book by it's cover. I think you two would have gotten along pretty well, actually."

"Really?" the villain questioned with a disbelieving tone. "I am kidnapping his daughter on a regular basis."

"He knew you would never hurt me," Roxanne explained. "He was more amused by the kidnappings than scared for me. Actually, he was the one who kept telling me that you weren't that bad, and that I should try and get to know you better. He was right."

They laughed again, trailing off when they both looked to the side awkwardly. It wasn't that they couldn't find anything else to talk about; they probably would, but it was because of how the last topic had ended that they were awkward. But they soon shook it off.

"Come on, we'll go slow, and you can hold my hand," she suggested, holding out said hand for him.

She almost laughed at how Megamind resembled a child, both in how she was having to hold his hand and how nervous he looked. But he eventually plucked up the guts to take her offered hand and try skating forwards.

"Are you sure this is safe?" he asked one last time.

"Positive," Roxanne laughed, as they began to skate together with the crowd.

* * *

The texting lingo confusion and Megamind thinking LOL means lots of love is from Phantom Misfit's story _Memoirs of Megamind_. I really liked the concept :)


	7. How to Kidnap Your Date

Despite living in the UK, I was able to see 'The Button of Doom' through a torrent. God, I don't think I've laughed so hard in my entire life! :D Those of you who have seen it may see some influences from it in this chapter.

Hope you all like!

* * *

How to Kidnap You Date

AC/DC blasted from the giant speakers as Minion entered the room, wincing at the loud noise before his eyes panned the room. He eventually found what he was looking for; his boss standing in front of the mirror, trying to smooth his eyebrows along with adjusting his collar. Minion knew that Megamind only ever did that when he kidnapped Miss Ritchi – but the next kidnapping wasn't until the following day.

Which meant one thing. Megamind was going on another date.

Don't get him wrong; the entire thing made his boss happy, and whatever made Megamind happy, made Minion happy, too. But the whole thing also made him nervous. Megamind was "dating" the woman he had kidnapped for twenty odd years, and if anyone knew his evil ways better, it was her. He had been surprised when she'd offered to get to know him better – and also suspicious – but he had been even more surprised when the dates continued. It was now April; the pair had been going out on these dates for almost two months.

But this didn't stop him from worrying. At first he had wondered if Roxanne was tricking him into opening up about his past, but this theory went out the window when Megamind opened up earlier on and Roxanne never told a soul. Minion later realized that he hadn't really been worried about that in the beginning – as a reporter, Roxanne was many things, but sleazy wasn't one of them. No, what he had – and still was – really worried about was what would happen. Like Roxanne, he could still remember why they had started going out in the first place, and knew that she could never really say yes to him. It was the very thought of his master's heart breaking that had him worried.

It was why he was approaching him; he wanted to confront Megamind about the point of it. The dates weren't going to lead to anything, and if he backed out now, it would save the heart ache.

"Ah, there you are, Minion," Megamind spoke when he noticed Minion, bringing the fish from his thoughts as the music was turned off. "I'm sure everything's ready for the 'Mega-Mega-Mind' battle tomorrow?"

"Everything's in place, sir," Minion reported, rather hesitantly. "The only thing left is what we have to do tomorrow; kidnap Miss Ritchi and place the button in her apartment. But...sir?"

"What is it, Minion?" his boss asked, going from giddy to irritated. "And whatever it is, hurry up about it. Roxanne and I are going to the zoo! I'm finally going to be able to study Earth's _mightiest_ creatures! Along with the not-so-mighty ones."

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about, sir."

"Oh, don't worry, Minion! I'm not thinking about replacing you with one of them!"

"No, not that, I mean..." he began, but hesitated. "What I'm trying to say is...is there any point continuing with this?"

"With what?" Megamind questioned. "With the study of zoology and evolution?"

"Sir, can you just forget about the animals and the zoo for one moment?" his friend told him. "What I meant was with you and Miss Ritchi."

"What about her?"

Minion scratched the back of his bowl, kind of like he was scratching the back of his neck. Why was this so hard?

"Look. I know back in high school you had a...crush on her," he began slowly, "and that the crush is...still there, which is perfectly fine, sir! There's no point denying it. But can you really see yourself having a future with her?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you've been kidnapping her for twenty years, sir," the fish continued. "You can't expect her to forget all those years and jump happily into a relationship with you."

"Well..." Megamind hesitated, a little annoyed with the doubt in his friend's voice, "what do you know? You're not the one dating her! She seems to be enjoying my company, and I'm enjoying hers. That should be enough."

"Life isn't that easy, sir," Minion explained. "I think you should just...call it off before you get hurt. It's not going anywhere."

"I don't want to call it off!" his master pouted like a child. "It's my decision! And if I want to continue dating her, then I will!"

He turned from Minion, his arms crossed, and his shoulders slouched. Blinded by annoyance, he didn't catch the look of shock and realization spread across his friend's face.

"Wait a minute..." he spoke. "You've...you've fallen in love with her."

A crush was one thing. People could grow out of them eventually, and most of the time, they didn't mean anything. But falling in love was a different scenario entirely. It can't simply be forgotten, and once a heart is broken, it never truly heals. Which would make Megamind's heartbreak all the more worse if Roxanne broke things off with him. It was at that moment that Minion realized things were a lot more complicated than he first realized.

Megamind tensed up at his statement, but found that he had no words. He couldn't snap back at his friend or even deny it – because it was a truth he didn't want to deny. He had fallen in love with Roxanne. Before, when he had just been kidnapping her, his feelings had only been the remains of a high school crush. But after spending time with her, getting to know each other, he found that his feelings had changed. And he liked it.

The silence hung in the air until Megamind's phone began to ring, blasting out Michael Jackson's _Bad_ as it's ring tone. Megamind stepped further away from Minion before he answered.

"Ollo?"

"It's 'hello', sir."

"Hello?"

"_Megamind, it's Roxanne,_" Roxanne spoke on the other end. "_I'm really sorry, but we're going to have to postpone our date until another time. Since Metro Man is out of town and one of my colleagues is sick, I've had to cover for her. Six hours of watching the annual Easter Bunny races; it's gonna be torture, but it's my job. How about I call you tomorrow and we can rearrange?_"

Megamind listened with sadness filling his features, but he understood. She needed that job, and he needed her to stay in that job. Otherwise the kidnappings would never work without the star reporter – he couldn't imagine kidnapping anyone else.

"Um...how about the day after?" he suggested. "It's my latest scheme for Metro Man tomorrow, unless we can rearrange during the kidnapping?"

"_Did you not just hear me?_" Roxanne joked. "_Metro Man's out of town. He was called to that earth quake in New Zealand, to move rubble off of people and all that. So I'll call you tomorrow?_"

"Yes, that'll be fine," Megamind replied, trying to hide the disappointment in his voice.

Once Roxanne hung up, he sighed as his shoulders collapsed in defeat.

"Minion, put the 'Mega-Mega-Mind' on hold until further notice," he told his fish. "And get out the Wii for us. I feel like drowning my sorrows in a game of Mario Cart."

He plodded off, but instead of doing as asked, Minion followed him.

"This is what I mean, sir," he explained. "Dates don't last forever. She'll eventually call them off, and you know it. The bad guy doesn't get the girl."

_Maybe I don't want to be the bad guy any more!_ Megamind felt like shouting it, but he just didn't feel like it. That, and he also knew he couldn't just stop being the bad guy. He couldn't just go out and announce it to the city, expecting them to believe him. Most of the population wouldn't believe him, and the rest would just laugh at the supposed joke. The only thing he could really do was a heroic act, but even then people would still be wary.

There was also Metro Man to consider. His nemesis would probably start a rumour about it being a trick in order to get the spotlight back on him. No, he couldn't just stop being the bad guy, no matter what Roxanne said.

"Sir, I want you to give an honest answer," Minion continued. "Did you really think that she would ever be with you?"

Megamind didn't want to reply. It wasn't because he didn't know the answer – the complete opposite, actually. And one answer he didn't want to admit. But in the end, it won out.

"No."

That answer stopped Minion completely. He had expected an answer like this, but he never thought it would sound so...sad. Like it was a truth his master didn't want to admit, but couldn't deny. Even though he knew it would never happen in a million years, deep down, he hoped that Roxanne may think of him in the same way.

Megamind straightened himself out.

"But," he began, "Roxanne wants to continue. And as long as she does, then I want to, too!"

There was a happy grin on his face, and Minion admired his positive thinking. It was what had gotten him through his childhood, after all.

"Good for you, sir!" he cheered. "It's not like we won't see her again afterwards. We'll still keep kidnapping her."

The second Megamind heard the word 'kidnapping', a light bulb went off in his head.

"BOINGO!"

"I think you mean 'bingo', sir," his friend corrected him.

"Yes, that's what I said," Megamind replied, before he hurried away at top speed.

Curious, Minion followed, and found his master strapping on the jet pack. Realization dawned on him as to what Megamind was up to.

"Oh no! Sir, _please_ tell me I didn't just give you an idea!" he pleaded.

"I could," his boss replied. "That's the point of _lying_."

And before Minion could stop him he took off into the air, out the window and towards Downtown Metro City. Minion sighed as he watched him go. Next to him the pink Brainbot appeared, and after seeing Megamind go, it shook it's head as it made it's little barking noise.

"Tell me about it," Minion agreed.

* * *

"Once again, the races are off to a good start, with a fair turn out and a number of prizes up for grabs," Roxanne reported, microphone in her hands as she faced the camera. "This is Roxanne Ritchi reporting live from the annual Easter Bunny races."

Hand under her chin, she signalled 'cut', and Hal stopped rolling. As he sorted out the camera Roxanne turned to the race that was going on behind her; rabbits with bows on them hopping along a race track with walls surrounding each lane. Despite the onlookers enjoying themselves, Roxanne could see that the rabbits weren't. She thought it was just cruel, making them do that.

"OK, the boss said that he also wants you to do a report on the costume race," Hal informed her, looking at his schedule. "You know, the one with the men dressed up as rabbits racing?"

Roxanne rolled her eyes with an annoyed groan. The one thing she liked about being Metro Man's personal reporter was that she wasn't stuck with the boring reports such as this one. Her area of reporting was much more exciting.

"Don't look so glum, Roxie," Hal said, and Roxanne winced at the pet name both he and Metro Man called her by; she wasn't too keen on it. "Why don't we skip the race and go get a coffee, or something? Or maybe we can go to that restaurant down the road for lunch? You know, the one with the heart chairs?"

At that comment Roxanne shuddered. She'd take the costume race any day.

"Hal, it's our job, we have to do it," she told him. "I really don't want to be here; I had other plans, but it just can't be helped."

She had rather been looking forwards to going to the zoo with Megamind. It would have been amusing, watching him study the animals from afar with his brain in science mode, and she'd also wanted to show him a bench she and her dad always sat one when they ate their ice creams.

"Then why don't we do something afterwards?" Hal suggested, getting desperate. "C'mon, Roxie. It's not like you're actually dating Metro Man."

For some reason, something inside Roxanne snapped. Whether it was because of what he said, or because he said it when she was thinking about her lost date, she didn't know. All she knew was that the stick had snapped, and from it, her anger came pouring out. Thankfully they were in a quieter area and out of earshot of everyone.

"Listen, Hal," she snapped at him bitterly. "I've tried to be nice to you. I've tried to give you the hint that I'm not interested, but you won't take it, and now I've had enough. Yes, I'm not dating Metro Man, but that doesn't mean I'm 'free game' for you."

"In case you haven't noticed, Roxie, you're getting old," Hal explained. "Not that you look it. You don't look a day over twenty-three. But I don't see a line of guys waiting for you."

_Great...first Metro Man, then my mother, and now Hal? _

"Hal, I'm many things, but desperate isn't one of them," Roxanne continued. "Let me make this clear: there is _never_ going to be an us. And even though there's no line of guys waiting for me, there is...someone I'm seeing at the moment."

"Who?" Hal immediately demanded, a mixture of shock, anger and jealously spreading across his face.

Suddenly people started screaming, and peering up into the sky, Roxanne saw a very familiar figure flying towards her with a jet pack attached to his back. She could even see the evil smirk from a distance.

"Megamind?" she questioned.

Within seconds, he swooped down and scooped her up into his arms, knocking over a terrified Hal in the process. Roxanne gripped the villain's arms tightly, but there was a clear smirk on her face.

"Great timing," she whispered.

Megamind wriggled his eyebrows at her.

"Citizens of Metrocity!" he announced. "When Metro Man returns, tell him that his precious Roxanne Ritchi is in my clutches, and that if he wants to see her alive again, he'll have to come and get her!"

Roxanne bit her lip to hide her smile as Megamind turned back towards the Evil Lair, his trademark laugh echoing throughout the city.

* * *

"This isn't a standard kidnapping, is it?" Roxanne asked, once they were safely inside the Lair.

"Unfortunately not, Miss Ritchi," Megamind informed her, as Minion went to put the jet pack away. "Which means that you have no access to the luxuries of the chair, the rope, or the spray."

"Oh, I'm sure I can live with that," Roxanne smirked.

"But I will stamp your Frequent Kidnapping Card," Megamind added. "You know, to make up for the loss of the report."

"Not much of a loss," Roxanne assured him. "Heck, I'd take a standard kidnapping over that any day! At least then I can watch your plan fail in the most colossal of ways. Always entertaining."

"Miss Ritchi, I'm insulted."

They laughed it off as Minion stopped in the doorway of the room.

"Minion and I were planning on playing some Mario Cart until Metro Man arrived," Megamind offered. "Care to join us?"

Roxanne rolled her eyes with a smile, and allowed Megamind to lead her over to where the Wii had been set up on the monitors. From the doorway, Minion watched as the pair began to play, laughing and joking, with the occasional teasing from Roxanne when she beat Megamind by miles. And as he watched, he found himself smiling.

Maybe, just maybe...there was hope for them, after all.

* * *

The Mario Cart idea was inspired by cgaussie01's story 'Metro Cover'. Another great AU :)


	8. Oh, the Irony

And here's another chapter :)

* * *

Oh, the Irony

"So the inside of these eggs are empty? No chocolate chicks at all?"

"Yes!" Roxanne replied for what must have been the hundredth time. "Easter eggs are not real eggs, meaning there's no chicks inside. The eggs represent new beginnings, new life, and new birth. Which is what Spring and Easter are all about."

Megamind stared blankly at her as he absorbed the new information. The two of them were sat on one of the many public benches set alongside the long row of shops, having just been shopping for a few bits and bobs for Roxanne's apartment. She had also bought them an Easter egg each, to keep with the spirit of things, but poor Megamind had been very confused with an egg that was apparently made of chocolate. He stared at the item in his hand again, before his green eyes met her blue ones.

"So does that mean the chicken is made of chocolate, or are they specially bred to lay eggs like these?"

_Didn't I already answer that one?_ Roxanne turned and allowed her head to bang against the back rest of the bench.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Megamind told her, pulling her head back up. "Doing that is _not good_ for your brain. I did that once, and I had a headache for about a week."

"But your brain is bigger than mine, so banging it probably hurts more," she pointed out. "Besides, I wouldn't have to bang it if you weren't so naïve."

_Not that I mind_, she added mentally. It was actually quite adorable how he misunderstood many simple things in life like a kindergarten would, and yet, he could build a death ray or a rocket within the space of a week tops. And Roxanne didn't even want to get started on his mispronunciation of words.

"These eggs were made in a factory just like normal chocolate is," she continued. "But instead of their normal shape, the machine made them egg shaped. It's as simple as that."

"Oh," he spoke, and Roxanne could tell by the tone of his voice that he was a little embarrassed. "Well, you could have told me that to begin with!"

"I _did_ try, but you'd already gone off on theories about how the chickens must have been fed coca beans and milk in order to produce chocolate eggs," she pointed out. "I would have thought with that big brain of yours, you would have realized how ridiculous that sounded."

Smiling sheepishly, Megamind scratched the back of his head. The reporter realized that he was still flustering with embarrassment, and smiled.

"Regardless," she added, "I think it's very cute how your brain switches to science mode and you get carried away with such theories."

"CUTE? _CUTE?_" he stammered with shock, jaw wide open. "I am a master of all villainy, and I am _not_ cute! I find that very offensive!"

"Firstly, keep it down, you'll draw attention; and secondly, I meant it as a compliment," Roxanne hushed him. "But since you're being a big baby about it, I'll reword: I _like_ how your brain switches to science mode and you get carried away with such theories."

He smiled, and she smiled back as a warm feeling crept into where her heart was. Roxanne blinked and tried her best to ignore it; glancing at her surroundings seemed to be doing the trick. She watched in silence as the cars drove on by, and as pigeons picked at a discarded bagel on the side-walk. She also watched women pass by with shopping bags, kids run past, laughing and playing, and...

...she also noticed the displeased looks that people were giving her.

Roxanne sighed inwardly. There was a reason she and Megamind had been keeping their dates limited to less public places, and that reason wasn't because of Megamind's unsocial skills. He was actually doing pretty well. It was something Roxanne had informed him on their first date; people thought she was still dating Metro Man, so being seen with some other guy wasn't exactly great for her image. It would label her not only as a cheater, but probably as crazy, too. In the eyes of the public, why would she want to go out with some random guy when she had a handsome superhero already?

She felt like shouting at the people staring, to tell them that the man sitting next to her was just a friend, but restrained herself. Shouting angrily only made it worse, and it would also make it all the more obvious that she was seeing him more than "just a friend".

"I don't like how everyone keeps looking at you."

Roxanne turned her attention towards the disguised villain next to her, who was staring directly at another passer-by who had given her that look. Megamind's look was nothing more than a death glare. For some reason, she found it quite sweet.

"It's like I said at the beginning," she explained. "Since people still think I'm dating Wayne, they don't like it when they see me with some other guy. I remember dating three guys early on; when I first started working at KMCP 8. People kept on staring at us like they're doing now, and this caused the guys to think that I was actually dating Metro, even after I had assured them that I wasn't. I never made it past the first date with any of them, so I just gave up dating in the end."

What Roxanne had said made Megamind feel guilty. He knew it was mostly his fault, since people related her kidnappings to her being Metro Man's girlfriend.

"I'm sorry," he apologized. "I didn't realize that kidnapping you would cause you such...such..._melon-colly_ feelings."

"It's _melancholy_, and I don't wanna hear it," Roxanne informed. "Sure, the kidnappings tended to be a bit annoying, but in the end, they gave me a stable job with good pay. Heck, I even get a bonus if the kidnapping is extra exciting! Even though they did stop me from getting a date...you're not to blame. It's the public's fault for putting us two together without asking questions or even asking if _I_ was OK with it, which I certainly wasn't. They never even gave me a chance to speak up for myself."

Regardless to this, Megamind still felt guilty. In his mind, unknown to Roxanne, he felt partly responsible for her mid-life crisis. If he hadn't started kidnapping her, she would probably be living a happily married life with another guy (as much as it pained him to think about it), instead of stuck in what he was starting to see as an endless game of cat and mouse, with her as the pawn. If he was honest, he had started kidnapping her for a reason which _wasn't_ the fact that she and Metro Man were somewhat of an item – although, this was a good cover-up.

When he looked down into her eyes and noticed the completely and utterly defeated look in them, he realized...could it be time? Almost three months before he had, rather accidentally, asked her a question; the reason why they were going out on these dates in the first place. And ever since he realized that his High School crush for her had developed into something more, he had wondered when the best time would be to ask her again, in hope that maybe, just maybe, she had learnt enough about him to say yes.

He was about to open his mouth when a sudden cry called out.

"Look! It's Metro Man!"

All eyes turned towards the sky, and Roxanne gasped when she saw the caped hero high above, hovering with his eyes scanning the crowd that had suddenly gathered. She didn't know what to be more angry about; her supposed boyfriend's sudden appearance, or the fact that people seemed relieved by his arrival. What struck her the most though was the first thought to come to mind was that Megamind would get hurt, rather than him getting discovered.

"Quick!" she hissed, grabbing Megamind's hand before the two of them ducked behind the bench out of sight.

"Oh, so we're trying to hide from a man with super vision?" the villain questioned with a tone of sarcasm. "Behind a bench? Good thinking, Roxanne! We'll _never_ get caught now!"

The reporter just rolled her eyes before she grabbed his hand again and lead him into the nearest store; the toy store. The pair zig-zaggged through the crowd of children, all laughing and shouting, draining out the noises of their parents telling them that no, they already had too many toys at home, and they didn't need any more. Apparently none of the children were listening, since they were still picking toys off the shelves and playing with them. Megamind found himself rather uncomfortable around them.

"Come on, we can escape out the back door," Roxanne called over to the villain, pointing over at said door in the near distance.

Megamind began to make his way over, until he saw a little blonde girl with blue eyes trying to reach for a teddy bear on one of the high shelves. But despite her jumping, she was still unable to reach it, and she was growing more and more upset by the minute. The villain looked around; her parents seemed to be no where in sight, and doing a double take, he saw that no one was looking. So he quickly took the teddy from the shelf and handed it to the girl.

At first she looked unsure, but it wore off when she realized he was handing it to her, so grabbed it with an excited giggle and hurried away. Megamind couldn't stop himself from smiling after her before he made his way over to the back door, joining Roxanne outside in a back alleyway. She was giving him a knowing smirk.

"I saw that, you big softie."

Giving her a death glare, Megamind was about to answer her back, denying everything, but decided it was probably a lost cause. Roxanne was a reporter, and a nosy one, at that. It would be a battle he would no doubt lose.

"What you saw goes with you to the grave."

"Roxie?"

Hearing her name being called by the hero, Roxanne pushed Megamind up against the wall, before joining him as Metro Man flew past the alleyway, luckily not noticing them. When he was gone, the pair sighed with relief.

"Roxie!"

Quick as a flash, Roxanne pushed Megamind down behind a large metal bin as Metro Man appeared in the alleyway, raising an eyebrow at Roxanne. He looked a little suspicious, but was more relieved that he'd found her and didn't bother asking questions.

"There you are," he spoke. "I've been looking all over for you. Listen, I've made reservations at that expensive restaurant right next to City Hall. If you're ready by seven I can pick you up and we'll be there on time."

Roxanne's eyebrows screwed together with anger and annoyance; she hated how he just assumed she would say yes, so hadn't bothered to ask if she even _wanted_ to go. Luckily she didn't have to reply; there was a shot, and on the road that could be seen outside the alleyway, a car exploded. Thankfully the car was empty, and no one was anywhere near it, but it caught Metro Man's attention enough for him to turn and investigate.

The reporter didn't even have to guess to know who had done that; it was confirmed when arms grabbed her round the waist, tightly but securely, and led her away out the other side. Megamind led them into another dark alley, and the villain noticed the metal ladder which led to the metal steps on the side of the building. It was secured into place high above them, but if he held Roxanne...

"Roxanne, would you be able to grab that ladder if I held you up?" he asked.

Gasping for breath, Roxanne's gaze followed his to the ladder, before she nodded. So he picked her up, allowing her to grab onto it and pull herself up. Once she was stable she reached down and helped Megamind up, and after some struggling and witty banter about upper body strength, they were balancing on the ladder side by side, panting heavily.

"Wow, that was really exciting," Roxanne exclaimed, her expression mirroring her words.

"You know, this situation is a little ironic," Megamind realized.

"It is?" Roxanne asked.

"Well, yes," he replied. "Because he's the hero and I'm the villain, but in this scenario, I'm having to save you from him."

"I guess I've always wanted to mix things up a little," Roxanne admitted with a smirk.

They laughed, but their humour was short lived when the ladder suddenly jolted. They barely had enough time to give each other looks of dread, before the ladder gave way and slid out of place, sliding back down towards the ground. Megamind and Roxanne screamed at the top of their lungs until the ladder met resistance and crashed to a halt, causing them both to lose their grips and fall the rest of the way. They rolled as they landed on the ground, stopping next to one another.

The pair looked up at the ladder, then at each other, before they burst out laughing again.

"If there's one thing I'll say about you, Megamind," Roxanne told him, "it's that you really know how to show a girl a good time."

"What can I say? I live an exciting life," he shrugged. "Sorry you'll have to miss out on the restaurant, though."

"Are you kidding?" she joked. "I'd take one of your kidnappings over that "date" any day! The jerk didn't even give me a chance to answer! He just assumed I'd go with him. And I'd have thought you would have known I didn't want to go, or did you miss the horrified look on my face?"

"Must have done," he replied, confused. "Then again, I was too busy glaring at that pile of hero and aiming for that car. I had to make sure there was no one _near_ it, let alone _in_ it."

Roxanne smiled up at him. She still wondered how he ever became a villain. Of course, she knew how, but he was just so unlike one; he actually had a regard for hers and other people's lives, and he was funny, sweet, charming, and fun to be around...

She suddenly hugged him.

The urge to do so was so sudden that she didn't even have time to think about why she was doing it. She just did it. Having this woman suddenly pull him into an embrace, Megamind tensed up, but wasn't completely reluctant. A shocked smile appeared on his face as he hesitantly hugged her back, unsure how to; his lack of physical contact was all too clear. Roxanne finally pulled away, smiling up at him.

"Come on, let's head back to my apartment," she suggested, turning to walk away.

If she had looked back, she would have seen the goofy smile spread across the disguised villain's face.


	9. Dance With Me

This one was a pain to write :( Hope you like, anyway.

* * *

Dance With Me

"A night club?"

"That's what I was thinking," Roxanne replied, shrugging as she leaned back against the black leather seats.

It was certainly a change, sitting in the back seats of the Invisible Car without being tied up, knocked out or blindfolded. She had been walking along the streets under the midday May sunshine until the familiar car had pulled up alongside her, and an even familiar blue hand yanked her inside. Megamind had just escaped from jail after his latest failure, and instead of waiting to call her, he'd decided to save her from that boring work meeting she'd been complaining about on their last date. _"Sorry, I was kidnapped"_, always seemed to be a good enough excuse in her case, after all.

Roxanne took a good look at the villain seated next to her; he was still in his orange prison uniform, orange fabric clashing with blue skin, and it took some effort for her not to cringe. It wasn't really his fault, anyway; she made a mental note to try and convince the Warden to at least put him in a different colour next time. It was torture enough for him having to sit in that room with butterflies, rainbows, baby deer and cute bunnies painted all over the walls.

"So you humanoids have a special club to appreciate the night time?" he questioned, his face filled with confusion. "I read about something like that; do you stand around big stones and watch the moon rise, or something?"

"Not like _that!_" Roxanne laughed. "I guess we appreciate the night, but not in a ritual way. A night club is a place where people go to dance and listen to music. A lot of people go to drink alcohol too, but you can buy soft drinks."

"I hope so," he sighed. "My body can't consume alcohol _at all_."

"Not at all?" Roxanne questioned, a little shocked, but trying her best not to show it.

"His body can't seem to cope with it," Minion, who was driving, explained. "He did try it once, but even after a few sips, he began to stumble all over the place, and could barely stand on his own two feet-"

"Minion!" Megamind whined as Roxanne tried to hold back her laughter.

"Sorry, sir," the fish apologized, turning his attention back to the road.

"I bet you think I'm some sort of _spoiler_, right?" the villain continued, turning back to Roxanne. "Not having had alcohol. Can you imagine it? A villain who doesn't drink-"

"You have a legitimate reason," she interrupted. "But I think it's good that you don't drink. I used to know a girl at uni who drunk a lot. It completely ruined her life; she was kicked out of the uni, lost her job, and ended up getting arrested when she tried to steal even more alcohol from a local store."

"I'll be honest; I was never too keen on it anyway," Megamind admitted. "There were a couple of guys in the prison who my uncles made sure I avoided. Too much drink had made them too violent to even approach. But will there be people like that at the night club?"

"There's one I know which is careful as to who they let in," Roxanne explained. "We should be fine. So if you drop me back off at my apartment, you can come by at about seven and we'll head down there, OK?"

"Sure."

"Oh, and by the way, make sure you never appear in public looking like that," she quickly added. "If someone on the fashion channel saw you, they'd probably have a heart attack."

Megamind chuckled and gave her a friendly bump, to which she bumped him back.

* * *

So at seven, Megamind, wearing his disguise, pulled up in the Invisible Car next to a waiting Roxanne. She climbed in next to him, completely disappearing, and making poor Carlos wonder if he needed his eyesight tested. Five minutes later they arrived at the night club, parking up in a rather shadow-covered area across the street.

"You know we're not allowed to park here, right?" Roxanne pointed out.

"Evil villain," Megamind reminded her. "And it's an Invisible Car; no one will see it."

Roxanne shrugged in agreement as the pair climbed out, thankfully with no one noticing them apparently appearing from mid air. They crossed the street, and after paying and showing their IDs (Megamind's was of course fake, but Roxanne was impressed as to how real it looked), they were allowed inside. Loud music blasted out of the loud speakers, and people danced on the dance floor under the dim lights whilst others sat at the bar with their drinks.

"If it wasn't for you blasting out loud music during some of the kidnappings, this would really hurt my ear drums," Roxanne told Megamind loudly, but not loud enough for anyone else to hear.

"This doesn't actually bother me," the villain admitted. "I've played my own music louder than this."

The pair sat down at the bar, and Roxanne ordered two soft drinks for the both of them. Just as she was paying the woman behind the bar, Megamind cast his gaze around the room, and saw a man staring at Roxanne. He wondered if the guy knew her, but then he saw just how the guy was staring at her; it was one of those creepy looks he had seen on some of the men in prison. The ones who had been convicted of crimes he'd rather forget. When he realized this, he found himself getting a little angry.

"Megamind, what are you looking at?" Roxanne asked, taking a sip from her drink.

"There's a guy behind you," Megamind informed. "And I'm not too comfortable with how he's looking at you."

Roxanne didn't look, but she was surprised with Megamind's sudden concern; she knew that he had a concern for her during kidnappings, and that he was rather possessive of her as his captive, but she never suspected it to be anything like this, especially since they were _outside_ the kidnappings. She was even more shocked when she felt his arm snake around her waist slightly. Was Megamind: Incredibly Handsome Criminal Genius and Master of all Villainy...getting _jealous?_

"Whoa, easy there, supervillain," she told him, removing his arm. "If he knows who I am, I doubt he'd approach me. Unless he wants his head smashed against the pavement by Wayne."

"I don't think he does. Or he just doesn't care," Megamind pointed out.

Roxanne followed his gaze as she turned. The guy was walking over to them, and seeing the look in his eyes, she realized why Megamind had suddenly turned from supervillain to super-protective. She didn't like how he was looking at her, either.

"Hey, babe. Fancy taking a spin on the dance floor?" he asked, his tone a mixture of flirtatious, smug, and just plain creepy. "Maybe later we could even take a trip into one of the back rooms?"

The reporter had been about to snap back at him, but Megamind suddenly leapt from his seat in anger, green eyes glaring at the guy. And he probably would have taken out his De-Gun and dehydrated him, if Roxanne hadn't grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"Meg- Soren!" she caught herself, pulling him back. "It's OK. No need to start a fight. The guy doesn't know who he's dealing with."

"You bet he doesn't," Megamind muttered, wishing he could lose his disguise and _really_ give the guy a scare.

"You do realize I'm Roxanne Ritchi from KMCP 8, and that if you try anything with me my boyfriend will probably toss you all the way to China," she warned the guy, reluctantly referring to Metro Man as her 'B' word.

"What about him?" the guy asked, jerking his thumb at a still angry Megamind.

"He's my cousin," she replied without flinching. "He won't toss you to China, but if he jumps at you again I won't stop him."

The guy took the hint and walked off, but Megamind still sent a death glare at his back until he was gone.

"So what was that all about, hmm?" Roxanne asked him with a raised eyebrow.

"Just because I'm Metrocity's future Evil Overlord, doesn't mean to say I don't have morals," the villain admitted. "I've seen guys like that in prison, and what they do to girls is just...well...it's just sick."

This Roxanne had to agree with. Megamind barely even left a _scratch_ on her, let alone do anything like _that_. The pair sat in silence for a few minutes until the DJ played a new song; _I'm a Believer_ by Smash Mouth, which just so happened to be one of Roxanne's favourites.

"Oh, I love this song!" she exclaimed, hopping from her seat. "Come on, Megs! Dance with me!"

"Megs?"

"It's short for 'Megamind', now come on! Come and enjoy yourself!" she said, tugging at his arms.

"No! I don't dance!"

"_Suuuure_ you don't," she said back with sarcasm. "I've seen you dance all the time during kidnappings, so don't try that card with me."

Megamind wondered if she really had drunk some alcohol as she pulled him onto the dance floor; it didn't seem like something she would do, but then again, there had been a lot of things he hadn't known about her before the two of them starting going out. And it wasn't like people would be staring at them; nearly the entire club had stood up to dance to this song.

"You know, there's a difference between dancing for presentation and dancing like this," Megamind tried again.

"No there's not, it's for the same reasons," Roxanne told him. "To show off. Come on, the villain I know would never run from something like this!"

"Is that a challenge, Miss Ritchi?"

"Only if you want it to be."

"Oh, it's on."

Megamind, quite literally, let himself go. He danced a series of moves which Roxanne recognized from Prom night back in High School; when he had challenged Metro Man (referred to as Metro Dude back then) to a dance off for the title of Prom King and a dance with her. She admitted that she probably would have given him a dance anyway, if he hadn't ended up soaking wet and completely wrecking the school gym – the result of another evil plan gone wrong.

Remembering the steps Roxanne joined him, and the two danced in harmony with one another. The people around them and even the song faded from their minds as they danced, and Megamind found that he couldn't look away from her eyes. Her bright, blue eyes which sparkled, even in the dim lights. Roxanne became lost in his green eyes, so lost that her mind seemed to shut down, and she self-consciously moved in time with him without awareness of what she was doing. So it wasn't surprising that when she became aware again, his hands were on her waist, hers on his arms, and their faces were just inches apart.

She looked away, and realized that she was smiling shyly like a teenager.

* * *

The Invisible Car became visible again as it pulled into the Lair, drawing to a halt. Megamind, his disguise gone, pulled out the keys before he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. Roxanne was still seated beside him, looking just as hesitant and awkward.

"Are you sure you don't want me to drop you back off at your apartment?" he asked for the nth time.

"Like I said, Wayne wanted to fly me to that beach across the lake early to watch the sunrise," Roxanne explained, also for the nth time. "I'm not a morning person, and I prefer to sleep in after a night out. Better to pretend I've been kidnapped rather than tell him 'no', _again_. I'm so tired of telling him 'no' all the time. Why won't he listen?"

"If you think about it, he was raised in the life of luxury, and he's always had whatever he wants," Megamind pointed out. "He's probably never been told 'no' before, so doesn't know how to deal with it. But you can't just avoid him forever."

"I know," she admitted.

She turned to face the villain, to find that he was looking away, his gaze panning around for something else other than her to look at. Roxanne went to thank him, but as she laid her hand on his arm, he suddenly jumped in shock, dropping his keys on the floor in front of her.

"Sorry," she apologized, leaning down to get them.

"No, I'll get them," he told her, leaning down himself as he stretched out his arm.

"Megamind, they're right in front of me, I can get them-"

"But they're _my_ keys, so it should be _me_ getting them, don't trouble yourself-"

There was a struggle, and before either of them could stop themselves, they both slipped and landed down on the floor in front of Roxanne's seat...in a _very_ awkward position. And by awkward, one would mean Roxanne on top of Megamind, both facing each other, and their noses almost touching. They froze instantly, unsure of what to make of the situation, before the struggle began again, only this time to try and get up.

They finally managed it, sitting back in their seats quietly like nothing had happened. But after an awkward sideways glance at one another, both doors opened at the same time and they quickly climbed out, both doors shutting in unison.


	10. Save Her

So I'm tackling the old theme of 'what if Roxanne had been kidnapped by another villain pre-movie?' I thought it was appropriate, given the situation she and Megamind are in :)

Hope you like!

* * *

Save Her

Roxanne knew, more than anyone, that Megamind wasn't the only villain around who wanted to challenge Metro Man. Granted, there weren't very many, and they rarely kidnapped her in order to get to the hero; but on those rare occasions, the reporter would find herself waking up with a bad headache and in a very uncomfortable position. This was one of those times.

The feel of it was so unusual, that she just knew instinctively it wasn't Megamind. She was shocked, and admittedly, a little scared. At least with Megamind she knew she wouldn't be hurt, and she didn't know who this guy was. Thinking back, she had only been kidnapped by other villains twice. The first was back in High School, when one of the nerds with a major crush on her had challenged Wayne to a fight over her. It was easy to say who won, and the boy ended up getting expelled. The second time it had been a small group of villains who demanded all of Wayne's money for her safe return. That had ended in failure when they gave out where they were hiding, when Wayne asked for an address to send the money to.

Each time she had been a little scared, and this time was no exception. She tugged on the ropes binding her, only to realize to her horror that she was hanging in mid air with only a rope holding her up. Roxanne grew more fearful when she realized that the rope wasn't even a strong one.

Suddenly the blindfold was removed from her eyes, and Roxanne found herself locking eyes with the new villain stood on a metal walkway in front of her; his eyes were a haunting purple, his suit matching in colour, and his hair was brown and greasy. And he smelled like he hadn't showered in a long time.

"We finally meet, Miss Ritchi," he spoke, and Roxanne resisted the urge to shudder at his smooth, haunting voice.

"Got a bone to pick with Metro Man, have we?" she asked, trying to keep her cool by imagining it was just like the usual kidnappings. "If so, can you make it fast? I have a date tonight and I don't want to be late."

She almost laughed at the image of Megamind throwing a fit when she told him about this villain, but also suspected that he'd scoff at the poor presentation, or something like that. Despite the lack of villains over the years, none had really impressed him much.

"With your beloved Metro Man, I presume?" the villain questioned. "Well, you two will have it. In the afterlife."

The floor opened beneath her, and glancing down, Roxanne gasped at bit her lip to stop herself from screaming. Before, whenever Roxanne had been dangling over a pit, said pit was always filled with alligators, chain saws, and even sharks during one plot. This guy had something a little less terrifying; tigers. But the reason Roxanne almost screamed was because of how close she was to them. Neither of them were bothering to jump and reach her, but if they tried, Roxanne feared that they might just be able to.

Yes, she really missed Megamind's kidnappings. There and then, she vowed _never_ to call him predictable again. Predictable was good. Predictable was safe.

"You... you won't get away with this," she stammered, trying to hide her fear.

"Frightened, Miss Ritchi?" the villain questioned. "Thought so. You're _so_ used to Megamind's ridiculously predictable kidnappings that, now you're in _real_ danger, you don't know how to react. I've accomplished something that blue twerp was _never_ able to do; make you tremble with fear."

Angered at the insult towards Megamind, Roxanne really felt like snapping back at the guy, but found that she was...too afraid. The guy was right; she _was_ too used to Megamind's safe kidnappings and his general concern for her life, and although she would never tell him outright, she had never been in any real danger whenever she was with him. Despite him always telling her that she was. She knew better than that.

"Now," the villain began, turning away from her, "let's call you boyfriend to his doom, shall we?"

* * *

"Watching that cliché film _Superman_ has really paid off, Minion!" Megamind announced whilst sat in front of the monitors, each one open on many different pages about metal.

"And how is that, sir?" the fish asked, resisting the urge to roll his eyes at what would probably be another failure.

"Well, Superman and Metro Man are exactly the same, right?" the genius explained. "Same powers, and all that. And Superman has a weakness to something called Kryptonite. But since Kryptonite is fictional, therefore unavailable, I've researched all other metals and elements alike, and have finally found one which will drain Metro Man's powers! COPPER!"

He withdrew a stick of it, placing it in a gun ready to fire. Bewildered, Minion just looked at him, unable to say anything. Had his master finally lost it?

"Out of all the metals in the world, sir, you decide that a flimsy bit of copper will do the job?" he asked doubtfully. "I would have thought that maybe something harder, like a diamond or a ruby, would do the job instead."

"I thought so too, but his mother wore diamonds all the time, and that had no effect on him. And he showered Roxanne with rubies," he added bitterly at the end.

"And there's copper all over the city, sir," Minion went on to explain. "You know? Copper coins, and all that."

"Oh, what do you know?" Megamind snapped back. "It's worth a shot!"

Suddenly the monitors became fuzzy, until the face of a guy appeared, his acid purple eyes glaring down the lens of the camera.

"Sorry to interrupt your original broadcast, people of Metro City, but I'm here to call out Metro Man!" he announced.

"Oh, _great_," Megamind groaned, slouching with an unamused expression on his face as the villain droned on about his reasons for attacking the city. "_Another_ pathetic excuse of a villain who thinks he's more superior than me. Well, at least his failure will be entertaining to watch."

"You want to stop me? Come and find me," the villain continued. "But you better hurry up. My tigers are about to feed on a little snack."

What he saw next caused Megamind's heart to stop dead in its tracks. Roxanne was dangling over a pit of tigers, the creatures having finally become interested in her and were gathering below. Seeing the look on her face, Megamind realized that she looked terrified, and in the same moment, realized that he'd never wanted to scare her. All he'd really wanted from her was attention, and trying to scare her was the only way he could get a reaction (even if it was one of annoyance).

"She's hanging _way_ too low, sir," Minion observed, also fearing for her safety; despite circumstances of how things were, he had always liked Roxanne.

"I know!" Megamind erupted, shock being replaced with anger – until he realized that he actually sounded concerned. "I mean… How _dare_ he kidnap _my_ hostage! The nerve of him! Looks like we have some work to do, Minion!"

"Work?" the fish questioned. "What work, sir?"

"We have to kidnap her back!" Megamind announced, pointing a dramatic finger in the air. "I know we don't have an evil plan ready but I'm sure we can wing it. Now hurry!"

"But we don't even know where she is, sir," Minion pointed out.

"Are you blind, Minion?" the blue villain huffed. "That's the old abandoned icing factory a few blocks away. It's hosted many of our evil plans over the years; can't believe it's still standing. Now come on, we have no time to _loose_!"

"_Lose_, sir."

"That's what I said!"

* * *

Glancing down at the big cats below, Roxanne was uncertain how much time she had left. The tigers were starting to growl, gathering below her like she was their pray, which in a way, she was. For the first time, she hoped Metro Man wouldn't delay in rescuing her. With Megamind she preferred to have a little time for a witty banter with him.

Suddenly there was a large crash, and Metro Man came soaring in, his eyes glued to the villain in purple.

"Looks like justice came to crash your party of evil!" he announced.

"Hey, buddy, I'm not Megamind," the villain reminded him. "I don't do witty banters. They're not funny, and frankly, they're also rather pathetic."

He pressed a button, opening many doors surrounding the hero and unleashing a number of large flying robots upon Metro Man. They were striped like tigers, but their jaws were much larger, and from what Roxanne could see, there seemed to be _hundreds_ of them.

"My tiger bots are relentless," the villain explained. "By the time you've fought your way through them, it'll be too late to save your precious Miss Ritchi. She'll be nothing but bones. And you'll be _so_ heartbroken you'll lose the will to live, and my bots will devour you without trouble."

"By the way, how does tigers and the colour purple go together?" Roxanne criticized him, hoping to distract the villain's attention away from Metro Man. "And tiger bots? For someone who criticizes Megamind, you still seem to take his ideas."

OK, so tiger bots weren't an exact copy. But they seemed to look and act similar to bots from an earlier Megamind scheme; things he called Brawnbots (early prototypes of Brainbots). The villain sent a sneer in her direction.

"Are you really in a time or place to be criticizing me, Miss Ritchi?" he questioned, before pulling on a lever.

The rope suddenly jolted downwards an inch. Roxanne let out a screech, glancing up at the now snapping rope, then back down at the tigers, which were growing restless. Hearing her scream Metro Man glanced over in her direction, and when he saw the danger she was in, he used all the energy he could muster to throw the bots off him before using his super speed to fly to her aid, just as the rope snapped.

He made it just in time, and was able to grab a hold of her dress and pull her up and away from the tigers. But as he did, two of the cats leapt up in a final attempt to stop their dinner from getting away; one swiped its paw across Roxanne's arm, leaving behind a large gash, while the other grabbed a hold of Metro Man's foot. The hero was thrown off balance and ended up landing safely on the other side of the pit, Roxanne sliding from his grasp across the floor. Eyes closed, she winced as she gripped her injured arm close.

All she was aware of was the pain of the gash, and the blood seeping through her fingers and trickling down her arm. She wasn't aware that Metro Man had left her, assured that she was safe for the time being, in order to fight off the rest of the tiger bots. She wasn't even aware of the figure moving closer towards her. And when a hand clasped around her mouth she gasped, and for a scary moment she thought it was the villain, come to chuck her into the tiger pit himself.

Instead, a familiar voice whispered in her ear.

"Stay quiet and don't struggle."

Relief swept through her entire being as Megamind helped her up, keeping her close as he escorted her out of the room, being careful to avoid notice from both Metro Man and the other villain. Even though Roxanne still wasn't very self-aware of what was happening around her, she did catch a glance at the note Megamind left behind:

_Next time, keep a closer eye on your "girlfriend"…unless I'm the one trying to kidnap her._

* * *

"I should have gotten there sooner. Or I should have at least come up with an evil plan today. Then I would have kidnapped you first."

"Ow!"

"Sorry."

Megamind and Roxanne were sat on a couch in a quieter part of the Evil Lair, out of the way of the Brainbots and any dangerous machines or chemicals. The genius was tending to the gash on Roxanne's arm; battling with Metro Man for twenty years had given him good knowledge on how to treat any gashes, cuts or broken bones, so that he was healed quick and ready for the next plot. After the gash had stopped bleeding, Megamind had wiped away any dry blood and was currently wrapping it in a bandage.

"It's not your fault," Roxanne assured him, trying not to wince in pain. "None of us were expecting that- Ow!"

"Sorry," he apologized again. "I wonder what Metro Man did with that villain? He deserves to die after what he did. I mean, look at you! Oh, if I see that guy in prison, he's going to be in trouble-"

"OW!"

"Sorry," he apologized yet again.

"Megamind, please stop apologizing," Roxanne told him firmly. "None of it's your fault. Not even this."

"Sor-" he went to apologize again, but cut himself off when Roxanne sent him a glare.

The bandage was finished, but instead of taking his hands away, Megamind found himself rubbing her arm soothingly, like he couldn't get enough of her skin. It was just so _soft_…

"Does that help heal it?" Roxanne asked, unsure what to make of him touching her like so; but it was certainly helping ease the pain.

"Err- yes!" the villain lied quickly, withdrawing his hands – Roxanne found she was actually disappointed that he'd stopped. "Um… So you just need to rest that arm of yours. Try not to do too much with it, and I suggest you wear a jumper to hide it."

"Megamind, it's the middle of June," Roxanne pointed out. "I'd rather people question me about it than bake to death. If they ask I'd just say it happened when that other villain kidnapped me. It's bound to be all over the news tomorrow."

"Yes, right, of course," he agreed. "I'll, um…I'll ask Minion to take you home."

He got to his feet and went to walk out the room.

"Wait!"

Megamind stopped and turned back to Roxanne.

"Thank you," she thanked him. "You know, for saving me."

"I was doing nothing more than kidnapping you back," Megamind insisted. "You're _my_ kidnapping victim, and mine alone."

Leaving the room, he missed the smile, eye-roll and shaking head from Roxanne. _Kidnapping me back. Suuure._

* * *

What do you guys think: kidnapping her back, or saving her?


	11. Romantic Flight

Just a sweet chapter for now... :)

* * *

Romantic Flight

Finally getting sick of the noise coming from the TV, Megamind stormed out of his work area over to where Minion was watching a movie on one of the monitors. _That fish and his animated __movies__…_

"Minion, I told you to keep it down in here!" he complained, throwing his arms up with annoyance. "Honestly, how is an evil genius supposed to think up his evil plans if his evil minion is watching kiddie movies in the next room?"

"Just because they're animated doesn't make them kiddie movies, sir," Minion pointed out, his eyes not even leaving the screen for a second. "And if I do say so, sir, _How to Train Your Dragon _is one of the best."

"I don't care what it's called, just turn it down so I can hear myself think!" Megamind demanded – although, he was a little relieved that Minion wasn't watching _Shark Tale_ again.

"OK, drama queen," Minion muttered as he did so.

Megamind went to walk back to his work area, but paused when he heard the music from the movie turn to a softer melody – a more romantic one. Curiosity getting the better of him he turned, watching the scene with a thoughtful expression. The boy and girl characters were riding on a dragon through the night sky, and on closer inspection, Megamind realized that it seemed to be winning the girl over.

And like a lightning strike, inspiration hit him.

* * *

The cool July night soothed Roxanne as she stood out on her balcony after a hard day's work, gazing out at the city around her but being careful not to look down. She listened to the sounds of traffic; the sirens and beeping horns which many people would refer to as city life. It was hard to imagine how anyone would be able to sleep with so much noise around, but Roxanne had lived in the city her whole life, and was more than used to it.

After the events of the previous month, Roxanne's arm had healed, and rather nicely, as Megamind had commented on her first kidnapping since the accident. He had also assured her that the "pathetic excuse of a villain" wouldn't be bothering her or anyone else again – Roxanne knew Megamind was not a murderer, but imagining what he'd done to the guy in prison still sent chills down her spine.

It was the 3rd of July; Roxanne knew Megamind would be making his annual "let's try and crash the party" appearance the next day, complete with her usual kidnapping on top, in celebration of the 4th. He always did something spectacular on those special days of the year. But oddly enough, this wasn't what was on her mind. Because, she realized, it was exactly five months since she and the villain had started "dating". Five months since he had, whether intentionally or unintentionally, popped the question and started it all.

Roxanne thought it wouldn't have lasted a week, let alone five months. That was before she realized there was a whole other side to him underneath the leather and the spikes – a side he had kept hidden because of public opinion, and so it wouldn't ruin his reputation. And as soon as she had gotten a taste of this other side to him, she found that she couldn't get enough. The dates had continued, and looking back, Roxanne realized she'd found a good friend in Megamind; one she could confide in with confidence, knowing that he wouldn't tell a soul about her problems (not that there was really anyone to tell, besides Minion). One who was genially concerned for her, even if he tried to hide it most the time.

Roxanne kicked herself for ignoring him in High School; she knew fully well that he'd had a crush on her, and probably would have tried getting to know him a little better if she hadn't been worrying about her reputation back then. To think, all those years of kidnappings could have been avoided if she had just let her reputation go that one time. She preferred not to dwell on this thought for too long.

Closing her eyes, Roxanne took in a deep breath and let it out with a huge sigh. Yes, life was going well.

"Hi, Roxanne!"

Roxanne let out a cry of surprise, backing away from the balcony with her hand on her heart as Megamind suddenly appeared in front of her, riding his hoverbike.

"Wow, I don't think I've _ever_ gotten you to cry out like that!" he exclaimed. "What do I have now that I don't have whenever I kidnap you?"

"The ability to take me by surprise," Roxanne replied.

_In more ways than one. _

"Was I really that predictable?" he questioned.

"If by that, you mean you've been following the same routine for twenty years, then yes," Roxanne replied with a smirk on her face. "But I will admit; you've been rather _unpredictable_ as of late, so that's a score for you."

"_Great_, that means I'll have to go for twenty _more_ years of being unpredictable in order to make it a tie!"

Roxanne just laughed at him.

"I'm sure being unpredictable earns you higher points opposed to you being your usual predictable self," she assured him. "What are you doing here, anyway? I thought my 4th of July kidnapping wasn't until _the 4__th__ of July_? Or are you nabbing me early this year?"

"No, I'm not _noou-bbin_ you at all!" he denied, and Roxanne resisted the urge to correct him on his pronunciation – sometimes it was just too cute. "I have something much bigger in store for you and Metrocity tomorrow! But tonight…well, I thought maybe…you might want to go for a spin? It's a _loov-aly_ night, after all."

"It's _lovely_…and do you mean on that thing?" Roxanne asked cautiously.

"Well, yes," the villain replied. "There's too much traffic for us to take a spin in the Invisible Car, and I thought it might be nice to leave the city behind for once."

"It does sound lovely," the reporter agreed, "but…"

"But what?"

Biting her lip, Roxanne avoided eye contact with him as she looked down at her feet. Her expression was one of slight fear, and putting two and two together, Megamind made the connection.

"You're afraid of heights," he spoke flatly, but was rather surprised; Roxanne Ritchi, the fearless anchor-woman of KMCP 8…was afraid of heights? "But I've had you in high places before-"

"Megamind, the highest you've ever had me is ten feet above a pool of sharks, and that isn't exactly high," she explained. "When I mean heights, I mean the really high places, like on top of a building, or on an aeroplane. Heck, I can't even stand out here on my balcony without feeling a little queasy! I have to be careful not to look directly down."

"But Metro Man carried you while flying?" the villain pointed out. "And I've used the jet pack to kidnap you before, and you never seemed afraid."

"Why do you think I gripped Metro Man so tightly?" Roxanne replied. "That's why in many of the pictures I look a little fearful; it wasn't because of what had just happened, but because of the flying. And remember, Megamind, that I was always unconscious whenever you kidnapped me with the jet pack."

"You weren't back in April…" Megamind began, but trailed off when he remembered exactly what had happened.

She had buried her face into his shoulder. At the time, he hadn't paid much attention since he was focussing on flying, but he'd just passed it off as how he was carrying her. Now, however, he understood why she'd done it.

"If you want to conquer your fear, you have to face it head on," he told her. "And…it's easier if someone is there helping you do it. Roxanne, I…I promise I won't let anything happen to you."

Roxanne looked up into his bright green eyes; she knew she could trust him. It was evident in the kidnappings that her safety was his number one priority, even if he refused to admit it. The reporter could even remember one specific incident when one of the contraptions above her broke and fell, and Megamind had pulled her away at the last minute. Yes, she knew he wouldn't let anything happen to her, especially now…

But she was still a little scared.

"But I've…never done anything like this before," she admitted.

"What's wrong with trying new things?" he questioned, giving her a small, warm smile whilst holding out a hand towards her.

_I knew he'd try that line on me_, Roxanne thought, mentally shaking her head. She'd used it on him two months before, when she'd taken him bike riding in the park. Megamind had been rather nervous about it, but she had assured him that everything would be fine, and ten minutes later he was riding around the park happily like an over-grown child.

Fear was replaced with an adrenaline rush of excitement as she took his outstretched hand, allowing him to help her onto the back of the hoverbike. She tried desperately not to accidentally look down as she gripped his waist tightly, and found to her surprise that he wasn't wearing his cape. Or the spikes on his shoulders. Or the collar.

"Hold on," he whispered, before he took off.

With a cry of shock, Roxanne gripped his waist even tighter and buried her face into his back, trying not to look as the city lights flew past and around her. The sudden rush of wind blew her hair from her face and caused her blouse to flap around her body, which sent slight chills dancing on her skin, but not in a bad way. Megamind tried to push out the fact that she was clutching him from his mind, and instead focussed on steering the bike away from the city, where there would be no lights apart from the ones coming from the moon and stars. He had seen the sight before, and he desperately wanted to share it with Roxanne.

The hoverbike soared through the clouds until it slowed to a cruising speed just above them, and sensing the now steady motion, Roxanne risked opening one eye. But both were soon wide open in awe at the sight she saw.

Living in the city her whole life, she'd never really had a chance to see the stars properly. Maybe a couple of times when she was a girl, when her dad would taken her to the park at the end of August to watch the fireworks, but the stars were never as bright as they were now. She could even see the constellations she had learnt so much about in her science classes back in High School, and named the ones she could remember silently to herself. Megamind kept the hoverbike going, occasionally glancing over his shoulder at Roxanne to see the look on her face; it was a look which made him smile. His heart leapt when she suddenly pointed out a shooting star, their cheeks almost touching as she leaned forwards.

The full moon illuminated the pair as they flew onwards, gazing up at the stars in wonder, and as they did, Roxanne realized that Megamind wasn't the only one who had missed out on some things in life. Doing this – something knew – brought to attention the fact that there were still so many things _she_ hadn't done, and may never get the chance to do. And if it wasn't for Megamind, she may never have even realized this. Her gaze turning to look upon the full moon, Roxanne self-consciously rested her cheek against Megamind's back. At first the villain was a little shocked, but he soon found himself smiling.

It was a night neither of them would ever forget.

* * *

Making sure he made as little noise as possible, Megamind brought the hoverbike to land on Roxanne's balcony, before he helped her off. The two faced each other in silence.

"That was…amazing," Roxanne spoke.

"Yeah."

Silence again.

"So…when should I expect to be kidnapped tomorrow?" the reporter asked with amusement in her voice.

"If I told you that, it wouldn't be a surprise!" Megamind shot back playfully, shaking his finger in her direction.

Roxanne giggled.

"I'll be looking forwards to it," she told him. "And…thank you, Meg… Soren."

Megamind looked into her eyes with a surprised expression. She hadn't called him by his real name before. Well, she had, but that was when they were out in public. This time they were alone; it was completely different.

They stood in silence for a few minutes, uncertain how they should part. But when Megamind turned to go, Roxanne did something totally unexpected. Proving that she too, could be unpredictable like him.

She leaned forwards and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

The villain never got a chance to say anything back, for Roxanne was already turning and hurrying away inside, shutting the balcony doors behind her. Megamind stood dazed for a moment. But then his brain switched back on again and he turned slowly to hop back on his bike. He paused for a moment, a hand reaching up to touch the warm patch of skin. He did a little fist pump in celebration.

Back inside her apartment, Roxanne allowed herself to release the breath she was holding. She didn't know why she'd done that…but it had certainly felt nice.


	12. Blue Water

I've had this chapter swimming around in my head for a while now (no pun intended). Hope people like it :)

* * *

Blue Water

"How much further, Roxanne?" Megamind whined, pushing aside bushes and branches as he followed the young reporter in front of him. "My feet are killing me! These custom baby seal leather boots weren't made for walking, you know."

"Stop complaining, you big baby, it's your own fault," Roxanne called over her shoulder. "I did say we'd be walking, so you should have worn walking boots, or something."

"What kind of evil villain owns a pair of walking boots?" the alien shot back.

Roxanne could only shake her head with a smirk. The villain she'd known for so many years really didn't get out much, and she could tell just by looking at him. It was the middle of August, and he was wearing leather and a cape. Not the best idea when they were out walking, but at least he'd had enough sense not to wear the spikes.

Ever since Megamind had taken her for a spin on his hoverbike, Roxanne was inspired to spend time with the villain outside the city, seeing other sights and showing him a couple of the places she'd visited as a little girl. They'd visited a roadside diner where she and her dad always stopped, and even took a look at a place where people claimed to have seen UFOs (to which Megamind was interested in, but scoffed at the limited human imagination; in his eyes, they could have at least thought up something better than flying saucers with little green men inside). But the best part about these dates, even though Roxanne would never admit it out loud, was that Megamind was able to go without the disguise, or at the very least, didn't have to wear it for too long. And Roxanne wanted to see _him_ more and the disguise less.

Today, Roxanne had driven him somewhere in the middle of nowhere, and Megamind wondered what she was up to. The alien loved surprises, but he preferred being the one who was doing the surprising, since he was too impatient to like it the other way around.

"So where are we going again?" he asked for the nth time.

"Just be patient and you'll see," the reporter answered, smiling when he gave a childish pout. "Besides, we can both use the exercise. You know, since you're as skinny as a twig and I'm trying to lose weight."

"Why?" Megamind asked, looking her up and down. "You don't need to lose weight. I think you're in perfect shape."

Roxanne turned away, blushing.

"But this better be worth it," the villain complained. "You drove all the way out here on a dirt track, in the Invisible Car; do you realize how much muck I'll have to clean off it? It isn't even completely invisible any more!"

He soon stopped complaining when Roxanne pulled back a branch as she continued walking, but instead of holding it for him, allowed it to snap back into his face. Megamind fell backwards in pain.

"OW! My giant blue head!"

"Whoops," Roxanne told him with an amused tone in her voice.

Megamind didn't complain again after that. Five minutes and forty-three seconds later (according to Megamind, anyway), Roxanne pulled away one final bush and stepped out into a clearing, and Megamind followed. He gasped at the sight below him. There was a small waterfall falling into a pool of water at the bottom of the hill they were stood on, the entire area surrounded by grass and trees; unless one would know what to look for, no one would ever know it was there.

"How in the world did you find this place?" he asked, still staring with wide green eyes at the sight.

"My dad and his brother found it when they were just kids," Roxanne explained. "They always came here, first on their own, then later with my mum and aunt, and even later with me and my cousins. It became a family thing, coming here. My cousins gave me a rough time, though; the three boys, anyway. Rachel wasn't so bad. But I learnt to put up with the three terrors."

"Ah, so that's why you're tougher than most girls," Megamind realized.

"Mm-hmm," she replied. "It was either stand up to them, or get pinned down with spit dangling over my face. Despite that, we used to have so much fun."

"So I'm guessing you stopped when you all grew up?"

Roxanne's face fell, and she turned away with a sad expression.

"They were...killed in a house fire when I was seventeen," she told him. "No one knows how it happened. But visiting this place just didn't seem right any more; too many memories, especially for Dad. He and my uncle were very close..."

Seeing Roxanne sad like this again, it reminded Megamind of what had happened back in March, when her mother had come other and they'd argued. Back then, he had hesitated at comforting her; now, things were different. But not different enough for him to comfort her completely; he still couldn't stimulate touching her in ways she may not like. So instead, he just rested a hand on her shoulder and gave her a gentle squeeze.

"Then why are you coming back here now?" he asked curiously. "And why bring me here?"

"Because I think it's time to start new memories," Roxanne told him, drying away a watery eye. "So lets get changed and we'll take a dip."

She disappeared behind a bush, leaving Megamind standing completely still, blushing slightly.

"So why did you asked me to bring these?" he asked, holding up the bag of loose clothing. "You do realize that Minion had to make them especially for me, right?"

"That's your fault for not owning anything other than leather," Roxanne shot back from behind the bush, and Megamind could hear her changing. "I just thought it'd be a little more comfortable wearing loose clothing instead of bathing suits, if you catch my drift?"

She reappeared wearing a loose red t-shirt and cropped white shorts, her other clothing hanging over her arm, along with a towel.

"So come on, get changed," she encouraged him.

Turning from him, she went to set her clothes and towel down ready for when she got back out. But when she turned, she found Megamind beginning to change _right in front of her_.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!" she told him quickly, grabbing his hands to stop him. "Get changed behind the bushes, OK?"

"I'll take offence to that," the villain replied playfully, disappearing behind said bushes. "But you should know, that what I have packing is just as normal as any other guy's!"

"Way to kill a girl's imagination."

"Ha, ha, ha."

He re-emerged wearing similar clothing to Roxanne; a black t-shirt with grey shorts, looking the most normal he'd ever looked (without the disguise, anyway). Apart from still wearing his cape. Roxanne was about to point this out, when something else caught her attention and made her think.

"How on earth were you able to get a t-shirt on?" she asked – she would have thought it impossible, considering the size of his head.

"Minion made it super-stretchy," Megamind explained, before demonstrating by stretching out the neck hole.

"And I don't think you'll be needing your cape," she added after a second thought.

"But I have to at least keep _some_ dignity!" the villain proclaimed, chin held high. "What's the point of being a villain if he has no cape? No presentation? No-"

He was cut off when Roxanne grabbed the end of said cape and whipped it above his head playfully, blocking his vision. Megamind removed it from his face to find Roxanne running off down the hill, her laughter echoing as she ran.

_Oh, so you want to play that game, Miss Ritchi? _

Cackling with laughter, Megamind took off after her, but his enjoyment was short lived when he ended up tripping over the cape and rolling the rest of the way down the hill. And when he came to a halt at the bottom, he landed in front of Roxanne, who was laughing even harder.

"You see, that's the disadvantage of wearing capes," she pointed out, wiping a tear from her eye.

But her expression changed from amusement to terror when Megamind stood back up, removed his cape, and began to walk towards her with a look of pure evil. Roxanne backed away.

"Megamind...I know that look. Don't do it, Megamind! Mega- no! Don't come any closer- no! Megamind, don't! Don't you dare- no!"

She protested and pleaded as he picked her up (surprising her with his strength, since he was rather skinny), carried her over to the water, and deposited her into it without saying a word. Once she resurfaced he jumped in after her, making a swim for it as she began to chase him. And unsurprisingly for him, but not for her, she couldn't catch him.

"How did you learn to swim that fast?" she asked once she gave up, and he swam back over to her.

"Hello? My best friend is a fish?" Megamind reminded her. "And when your best friend is a fish, you're guaranteed to at least learn _one_ stroke in swimming. But I know them all."

"Oh, you would," Roxanne said, smirking at his boasting.

It was then that Megamind noticed a rope swing tied to a tree, the branch hanging over the water.

"I'm guessing one of you made that?" he asked, nodding his head over at the rope.

"My uncle did," Roxanne explained. "He and my dad used to have a contest over who can swing the furthest. It was always amusing to watch."

_Now it'll be even more amusing,_ she thought as she watched Megamind climb out of the water and make his way over to it. She didn't want to tell him that it hadn't been used in years, and would most likely break, even under _his_ weight. Call it payback for throwing her in. Her smile grew as the genius (maybe not in this situation) tested the rope by tugging on it, afterwards assuring himself that it was strong enough. He took a few steps back before running.

"CowabungaAAAGGGHHH!"

The branch snapped under his weight, and both it, the rope and the alien ended up splashing into the water, not quite as gracefully as he was originally going for. Roxanne laughed at his cry, and having a second thought, quickly disappeared under the water just as he resurfaced.

"Yes, I'm sure that was very funny, but you should have warned me..." Megamind began, but trailed off when he realized that Roxanne was nowhere to be seen. "Roxanne? Roxanne Ritchi? "RoxaAAGGHH!"

He screeched like a poor lady when he felt something pinch him, jumping three feet in the air at the same time – but he was annoyed when Roxanne resurfaced, laughing at him again.

"Oh, you...you...!" the villain stammered.

Roxanne just smirked at him before diving down again. Megamind followed, and the pair found themselves swimming underwater together, side by side with their eyes wide open. When their eyes met, Megamind couldn't help but notice how much her blue eyes stood out in the water, sparkling like two gemstones in a cave. Roxanne thought the same about his green ones, but also noticed how his skin tone seemed to melt into the water, almost disappearing altogether. It made her realize just how unique his skin tone really was.

She needed to breathe so resurfaced, taking in a deep breath of air, which soon turned to squealing laughter when Megamind grabbed a hold of her waist and spun her round, cackling in her ear. Roxanne was proud that his defensive wall was finally starting to lower, and that he was growing braver with the friendly touches. The pair swam back over to the side and rested in the shallows, panting.

"What fun!" Megamind exclaimed happily. "If we do come here again, we should really bring Minion with us."

Roxanne agreed, keeping quiet. If she was honest, she had actually considered asking Minion to come with them, but a selfish part of her had wanted it to be just her and Megamind; she didn't understand why. This selfish part had battled it out with her selfless part, until her selfishness had won out – but she did make a mental note to invite the fish next time. She realized that he was probably being neglected, since she was spending all this time with his boss and friend, so it would only be fair.

"Yes, we should," she spoke at last, before quickly changing the subject. "Hey, I almost forgot; next week is the end of summer fireworks night. You know, when we celebrate the end of summer and beginning of autumn?"

Megamind nodded. It was something the city had always done, even before he'd arrived, according to the Warden. It was also the only celebration, apart from New Year's Eve, that he didn't try and ruin, only because he was impressed with the firework displays. Granted, he would definitely do a _much_ better job, if he said so himself. But he was always impressed with the city's efforts, taking into account their lack of advanced technology and the materials he possessed.

"I was wondering if you'd like to come with me to watch them?" she asked him. "There's this spot I always used to sit with my family, but it's been pretty lonely ever since...well, you know. And my mother never really attends the display now. So you wanna go?"

"Yes...I'd like that."

The two sat staring at one another, knowing that nothing more needed to be said. Noticing a strand of wet hair in her eyes, Megamind reached out and hand and removed it, getting a better view of the bright blue orbs.

Yes, he was certainly getting braver with the touching.


	13. Fireworks

Hope you all like this one!

Also, try listening to 'Waiting for the Lights' on the _Tangled_ soundtrack. It certainly got me in the mood when writing this chapter.

* * *

Fireworks

Crowds were gathered in the centre of Metro City park as the firework display was prepared by experts dressed in special suits, in order to protect themselves if anything should go wrong. Children watched with wide eyes, some holding sparklers whilst others climbed up onto the climbing frame to get a good view. Adults were busy chatting and drinking by the tents serving snacks. All waited anxiously for the fireworks, both curious and excited as to what was in store for them this year.

No one noticed the two lone figures sat upon the top of a nearby hill, looking down upon them all with waiting eyes.

Sat upon a picnic blanket, Roxanne and Megamind waited for the fireworks to start, just like everyone else was below them. The reporter wore a short sleeved yellow blouse and dark trousers to match, whilst Megamind wore his leather suit, but like on the night of the romantic flight, he had opted to go capeless and spikeless. He wasn't even wearing his gloves. But it was such a lovely night, he knew he wouldn't need them.

He was also glad that he'd been able to come without the disguise. Roxanne had assured him that they wouldn't be disturbed on the hill. Making it just the two of them. After the swimming date, the guilt about neglecting Minion had finally gotten to Roxanne so she had extended her invitation to him too, but the fish had informed her that he didn't really like fireworks, and preferred to watch them from a good distance. It made sense, since he never made an appearance whenever one of Megamind's schemes involved fireworks, nor did she blame him; he was a fish, after all. It was probably animal instincts.

After a while, Megamind found himself staring up into the night sky, watching the stars that were only just visible up against the light coming from the city. His gaze seemed troubled, which didn't go unnoticed from Roxanne's observations.

"Something wrong?" she asked, concern being apparent in her voice.

"It's nothing," Megamind assured her. "I'm just...looking."

"It's clearly something," Roxanne spoke. "I'm a reporter, Megamind. I can tell these things. What're you looking for?"

"Just..." he began, but found himself stumbling; it was a touchy subject, after all, "the light coming from my home world."

"But it died years ago, right?" she asked, remembering the story he'd told her on one of the early dates.

"Yes, it did, but consider how far away my planet is," Megamind explained. "Space is huge; it can take light _years_ to reach us from other stars and planets. That's why they're called light-years. So even though my planet died out years ago, we'd still be able to see the light."

Roxanne found herself at a loss for words; she really didn't know what to say. The villain was being so...sentimental about this subject, not to mention that she sometimes forgot just how smart he really was; the large head should have been a constant reminder of this, but his naïvety also made her forget.

"How far away is...was your planet?" she asked.

"Hard to say," Megamind replied, deep in thought as he tried to figure it out. "I'd say hundreds...possibly thousands. Who knows? I haven't been able to look through a big enough telescope in order to tell."

"Hundreds or thousands?" Roxanne gasped in shock. "But...if you're here, that doesn't make any sense, because it would have taken you that long-"

"I know, that had me puzzled for sometime, too," the villain explained. "That is, until I took the pod I arrived in apart. My race were a very advanced race. They were somehow able to create a source of energy which could send objects soaring possibly hundreds of times faster than the speed of light. That same source of energy was encoded into my pod, and most likely into Metro Man's, too. They got us to Earth in a matter of hours."

Roxanne found herself feeling similar feelings to the ones she'd felt all those months ago, when he'd first told her about his past. Only this time, the feelings felt...deeper, somehow. Like she was more connected to them. Her eyes looking up into the sky again, she tried to pin-point where his planet could be; it was a lost task, she knew, since apparently not even Megamind knew.

"Sometimes," she began, when she was certain Megamind wasn't going to continue the subject, "I wonder what could have happened if things had been different."

"How different?" the alien asked.

"It depends," she shrugged. "Anything could have happened to change the outcome of things. Your planets might not have been sucked into a black hole. You could have landed somewhere else. People might have been kinder to you."

_I could have been nicer to you in High School..._

"I read a story on that," Megamind spoke up. "Something called the string-theory, or something like that. It was certainly interesting. I was thinking about using it once for a diabolical plot; I thought I might be able to transfer myself into an alternative universe where Metro Man was never sent away from his planet, leaving me to rule the city!"

"But then consider what else may have happened before," Roxanne explained. "Without him, your pod wouldn't have been knocked off course, and you would have landed in the Scott mansion. Therefore getting a life of luxury and people not picking on you, resulting in no reason to be evil. I'm assuming you realized this so didn't go ahead?"

"No, the machine I built exploded."

Roxanne couldn't help but laugh.

"Yes, I'm glad _you_ find it funny," he pouted. "I could have died!"

"And that's another possibility," Roxanne went onto explain. "You could have died in one of the schemes; Metro Man may have died, although I can't imagine how, since he's invincible. Heck, _I_ could have even died at one point."

"Don't say that!"

The words left his mouth before he could stop them, and Roxanne found herself staring at him with a bemused expression. How he'd said it was so sudden, and yet...so sweet. She could see the pain and desperation in his bright green eyes.

"I mean," he stammered, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly, "it would never have happened. I made sure that...you were always safe, in _all_ of my schemes. And...this may sound very...weird coming from me...and don't tell anyone I said this, but...despite the kidnappings, I do...care for you, Roxanne."

Gazing into his vibrant green eyes, Roxanne knew that he meant it completely. And it wasn't like she didn't know already; the reason why she'd never been frightened of him was because she knew he wouldn't hurt her, or even allow her to be hurt accidentally. Every single one of his contraptions never reached her, the guns he pointed at her were never loaded, and sometimes he made his traps so that she'd be able to escape and save herself, rather than Metro Man having to rescue her (he'd certainly been doing this more often since they'd started going out). She also realized the amount of guts he must have plucked up in order to tell her something like this, being a villain and all, so allowed herself to smile.

"I know," she replied boldly.

Nothing more needed to be said, for Megamind understood what she meant. The pair looked down upon the crowd when they began hearing excited mummers, signifying that the fireworks were about to start, and gazing sideways, Megamind caught sight of Roxanne's hand. It was resting upon the blanket whilst she leaned her weight against it, her legs curled up to one side. He stared at it for a good long while, debating whether he should take it or not, and his hand did a whole lot of hesitating before he finally touched it softly. Testing the waters, in a way.

Roxanne looked down at his hand touching hers, a little surprised, and it gave Megamind enough of a hint to quickly withdraw, avoiding eye contact with her to hide his flustering cheeks. Still confused, Roxanne looked up at his face and saw how shy and nervous he looked. It was...sweet. For the nth time she wondered how this man could have ever been a villain – she questioned if he had really ever been a villain at all. Just a scared being lost in a world which has rejected him his entire life. She wouldn't have to guess to know that he'd never had this much attention, kindness and friendship from a human before, probably not even from his prison uncles.

It was this thought which made her retake his hand and hold it gently.

Wide eyed, Megamind's eyes drifted down to their holding hands, blue contrasting with the pale pink, before his gaze locked with Roxanne's. She gave him a warm smile, her sparkling blue eyes captivating him completely, more than they'd ever been able to do before. He'd always been drawn to her eyes, but tonight...it felt different. It felt...like so much more. To both of them.

Neither of them realized they were leaning in until it was too late.

Both their eyelids slid closed as their lips touched, and instantly, everything seemed to fall into place. The fireworks exploded in the background, but the pair didn't even notice, for they were too caught up in what was most definitely the best experience of their lives. The kiss was soft and sweet, but at the same time, it unlocked so much power it would be overwhelming for the faint-hearted. Megamind and Roxanne, though, didn't fall into this category.

It almost felt like their souls were joining. Or maybe, they were two halves of one soul finally coming together after years of separation and denial. Whatever the case, they became lost in the kiss, completely unaware of everything other than themselves. Megamind's hand rested upon Roxanne's cheek and he began stroking, whilst his other hand found its way into her hair. In the same instant Roxanne lifted one hand to wrap around his neck, pulling him closer and deeper into the kiss. Her other hand raised itself to link with her first, but since it had been supporting her weight, this move resulted in the two of them falling sideways and landed on the blanket. This alone interrupted the kiss, and the pair pulled away in shock.

For a few silent moments they stared at each other, trying to figure out what had stimulated between them, and how it had even begun. Whatever it was...it had been amazing. Not even Roxanne could deny that.

But she knew, after Megamind had dropped her back off at her apartment, that she had a lot of thinking to do.

* * *

Bet you all weren't expecting that, huh? Proves I'm not predictable ;D


	14. Fallen

Just a note to some of you fellow reviewers who are expecting a lot of angst; please note that I never would have written this story if it wasn't for the first one shot. And since there wasn't much angst mentioned in the explanation in that story, there won't be much in here (I can't exactly change it, not that I wanted to in the first place).

If anything, there will be some mild angst. _Really_ mild angst. But that's it. I do sometimes like to write angst, but only if there's a happier ending soon afterwards; I find fluff more enjoyable, and I'm also a sucker for happy endings :)

Just needed to say that so you angst people don't kill me. Don't like, don't read.

And I guess that what's explained here (apart from some parts) can probably be related to what Roxanne's feeling in the movie universe, right after the battle with Tighten.

* * *

Fallen

The first thing she did that morning was call in sick. Noticeably, Roxanne was far from sick physically, but emotionally, she was a wreck. Her head was spinning out of control, and she knew she wouldn't be able to focus that day, so realized there was no point going in. Besides, she had the most important decision of her life in front of her, and she knew she had to make the right choice. What that right choice _was_, unfortunately, was beyond her.

Megamind had kissed her. Or rather, they had kissed together; it was hard to tell who had stimulated the kiss, since she hadn't even known they were leaning in until their lips were touching. And by that time, she hadn't wanted to pull back. For an evil genius, he was one hell of a good kisser. No, she took that back; he was better than most guys would probably ever be. Not that Roxanne had many kisses to compare him with. Two of the guys she'd dated never kissed her; the third had, but it hadn't been much, since he was afraid to do so. Metro Man had given her the occasional peck on a cheek, and the one time he had tried kissing her on the lips resulted in her pulling back in shock and almost slapping him across the face (thankfully stopped just in time by the hero, since he knew the gesture would more than likely break her hand).

Megamind's kiss had been like Heaven; the kiss she had always dreamed about, but had known she would never get. Until that night. But the question was: what did it mean? Her time with the villain had been the best times of her life, and she knew it. They had become friends of sorts, hanging out together and telling each other things about themselves. That was what friends did, right? But friends don't kiss each other like that. And it was this which completely turned her perspective of their relationship upside down. After that, how could they stay friends? It would just make things awkward again. But Roxanne thought; had they even been "just friends" to begin with?

No, they had to have been...they couldn't have... Megamind was a villain. Well, not in that sense, but he was still a villain. All his life, he'd tried to kill Metro Man, take over the city, and god knows what else. She knew that his true self was nothing like that, but he'd still done those things without regret, and still continued to do them. And he'd still kidnapped her. Roxanne didn't hate him for this, and sometimes enjoyed the kidnappings, but other times...it was just annoying. Some days she could really do without it, but Megamind would kidnap her anyway, regardless to what she tried to tell him. It was these thoughts which told her than now was a good time to break things off with him. But Roxanne found that she couldn't do it. She couldn't do that to him; a man who had become her friend over the past few months. But most importantly, she couldn't do that to herself. It would break her heart...

...

Oh god.

Oh _god..._

Dollars worth of therapy sessions to prevent Stockholm Syndrome..._down the drain. _

Roxanne was in love with him. She had completely and utterly fallen head over heals for him. The reporter almost fell off her chair when she realized, and found herself taking in deep breaths. How in the world had that happened? How could she have let this happen? Granted, she'd always been aware of the slight attraction to his darker side; it was something which was inside ever girl on the planet, and while others pushed it down and ignore it, others embraced it. Roxanne had been somewhere in the middle; she hadn't embraced it, but she certainly hadn't pushed it down, shown whenever she flirted with the villain. It was the main reason why she took those therapy sessions, to make sure that side of her never gained a foothold. She hadn't realized just how far it had been climbing up until it had reached the top.

But as Roxanne thought about it harder, she realized that it was probably her fault. She could have easily broke things off with Megamind before things got this far; unfortunately she'd been enjoying herself so much with him that she'd kept putting it off, despite knowing the longer she left it, the harder it would be for both of them. It was almost like she was unconsciously telling herself that she loved him, and should never break things off.

And thinking back over the dates, Roxanne realized that she wasn't the only one. Megamind had most likely fallen for her too; the evidence was there all along, but she'd been in too much denial to admit that he had feelings for her. Like back in High School. It was like that all over again, only this time she was experiencing strange feelings for him, too. But this wasn't the only thing she's been in denial about, she realized. Her feelings were there all along, throughout all the dates, but she'd kept on denying them, writing them off as just friendly feelings.

But...now she knew that she loved him, more questions remained, one of them being obvious: could she really be with him, after all these years?

As always, public opinion and her reputation as a respective reporter were the first things to pop into her head. If anyone ever found out about what she'd been doing, and her feelings for the supervillain, the gossip would spread like wildfire. People would mock her, label her as twisted, and she was certain her therapist would sign her up to his sessions for the rest of her life. She would be the most talked about celebrity in history, no doubt, and not for the right reasons. Some though, she realized, might label her actions as Stockholm Syndrome. It was possible for that to happen, and many stories proved it. Beauty and the Beast was a prime example (she almost laughed at how it resembled herself and Megamind). After being kidnapped by Megamind for twenty years, it may not come as a surprise to people that the two of them finally "hit it off". But she still suspected that people wouldn't take to it kindly.

Roxanne had been told her whole life to "always do the right thing". But she had seen people "doing the right thing" in films and novels, where they would ignore their heart and happiness just because it was the right thing to do. How could that be realistic? Were those people stupid? In the real world, she knew, people were too selfish to think about the right thing. They'd pursue their happiness. It was a hard factor in life, and one which could sometimes be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on how one looked at it. Looking back over her life, Roxanne realized that she was tired of trying to do "the right thing". Wasn't "following one's heart" always the right thing to do, instead of what she _thought_ was right?

Taking out her purse, Roxanne found a strip of photos from some months before, taken of herself and Megamind in a photo booth. He'd turned of the disguise so it was himself, and the two of them were pulling funny faces in each picture. It made Roxanne smile. Despite everything he'd ever done and who he was, she realized that she wanted to be with him. No matter what other people said, no matter what her mother said, she wanted to be with him. She loved him, and when love was true, it was always enough to make it through whatever was thrown at them. Megamind was everything she'd ever wanted in a guy; charming, caring, sweet, funny, sensitive, and despite what everyone else said, she also found him rather handsome. It was probably the goatee, and his vibrant green eyes. The same eyes that always seemed to captivate her whenever she saw him.

It was these thoughts which reminded her of the proposal. The very reason why they'd started seeing each other socially in the first place. Gazing at her calender, Roxanne realized that it had been seven months. She had fallen in love with him in the space of seven months. It didn't sound unnatural; she'd known people who'd fallen in love within a matter of days, and one of her college friends had married her partner only after six weeks of dating. So it wasn't like they were jumping into things too fast. They'd already had plenty of time to get to know one another, and even though there still may be a few things she needed to know about Megamind, Roxanne felt that she had learnt enough about him to make a decision. And in the end, the pros completely out-weighted the cons.

Megamind was still the shy, quiet bad boy from High School. One who she had ignored because she wanted to keep her reputation intact. It had been the worst mistake of her entire life, and Roxanne didn't want to make that same mistake again. It was time to make up for it. Roxanne hadn't been this certain of anything before, not even when she decided to become a reporter.

The only thing she grabbed as she left her apartment were her keys; there was no time for anything else (apart from a quick check in the mirror to see if she looked presentable). She needed to get to the Evil Lair; she needed to tell him quickly before he took her avoiding him the wrong way. The reporter passed Carlos, and barely had time to say hi to him before she was out the door and hurrying towards her car. Unfortunately she bumped into Hal, who she also noticed was holding something which looked suspiciously like flowers.

"Roxie! So glad I caught you!" he exclaimed. "Listen, I just wanted to ask you-"

"Hal, I can't talk right now, I'm in a hurry!" Roxanne told him, trying to step around him, but he blocked her way.

"But it's important-"

"No, Hal!" she snapped, her impatience growing, but the thrill of what she'd just realized still there. "I don't need this right now. It's a long story, but I need to tell the man that I love that...I love him!"

She quickly side-stepped around him and jumped in her car, missing the hurt and angry look on her cameraman's face as he threw the flowers to the ground and jumped on them.

* * *

Well, I hope I wrote that OK...


	15. Yes

Noooooo, _of course_ the title of this chapter doesn't give anything away...

* * *

Yes

His bright green eyes just stared blankly at the monitor, but Megamind wasn't really watching it. His thoughts were far away, playing what had happened the previous night over and over again, and wondering if he'd ruined everything he had with the woman he loved.

They'd kissed. Megamind wasn't even sure if he had been the one to start it, but one their lips had touched, he didn't want to stop and ask. He didn't regret the kiss itself; it had been amazing, and possibly one of the best experiences he'd ever had, and quite possibly, ever will have. It was what had happened afterwards which gave him the melancholy feelings; after the firework display had finished he had taken Roxanne home, but she didn't say a word to him, so he didn't to her. Then she bid him 'goodnight', gave him an awkward look, and got out the car without another word.

That alone gave him a reason never to see her again. He didn't expect her to call, or to come over, and he barely even expected her to say a word to him the next time he kidnapped her – if he ever kidnapped her again. As fun as it was, and as much as he needed her for his plans, it would just be too awkward. How could he handle being in the same room with her after what had happened the previous night? It would be torture. Which was ironic in itself.

Eyes closing, Megamind allowed his large head to rest on the screen in front of him, once he'd taken off his gloves. He should never have hoped. He should never had hoped that somehow, some way, he and Roxanne could be together. After all those years of kidnappings, could she really look past it all? It had surprised him when she'd offered to get to know him better, and it had surprised him even more that their dates had lasted this long (not to mention what had actually happened in the dates), but he knew that it wouldn't last forever. He should have also known that Roxanne probably only wanted to be friends with him, if anything.

So lost in his thoughts, he failed to notice a figure show up on the monitors and pass through the secret entrance. He also failed to her the excited electronic barks of the Brainbots as they swarmed around the uninvited guest; but since this guest had been a familiar visitor these past few months, neither of the little robotic helpers were too surprised, nor did they attack. Megamind still failed to notice even when the guest approached him.

"Megamind."

With a startled cry, the villain jumped in shock, resulting in him falling off his chair with his cape over his head. In normal circumstances this would make Roxanne giggle, but things were different. She needed to talk to Megamind, and laughing at him wasn't a good place to start. When he realized it was her, the genius hurriedly got to his feet and brushed himself off, slightly embarrassed.

"I meant to do that," was all he said.

Roxanne decided not to say anything; that wouldn't be a good place to start, either.

"Megamind, we need to talk," she began.

"I know," he agreed. "But I want to go first. To get it out the way."

Seeing the serious look in his eyes, Roxanne let him. Megamind took in a deep breath, thinking through exactly what he was going to say, before he began.

"Roxanne, I...I just want you to know that I'm sorry. For everything I've ever done. I know you don't want to hear apologies from me, but it just feels right. That day, when I asked that _stupid_ question, I never would have imagined you'd even give me a _chance_. But you did, and I'm grateful. You...you let me be myself around you, you never mocked me, and you never told anyone about who I truly am, not that anyone would believe you. Over these past few months I've...enjoyed myself so much, and I'll never forget the memories we made together...but all good things must come to an end. You and I both know that."

"Megamind-"

"Please, let me finish," he cut her off.

Roxanne gave in, despite her insides almost bursting, and her heart breaking at just how vulnerable he looked. Megamind himself let out a sigh; this was harder than he thought it would be.

"Back in High School I had somewhat of a crush on you," he continued. "I'm not ashamed to admit that. I _am_ ashamed of admitting that it never truly went away, even during these years of kidnapping you. But after those dates, well...I'm afraid it's grown into something more."

Roxanne's eyes widened, but she wasn't that surprised. She already knew that his feelings were somewhat the same; him admitting it himself was what caused the small amount of shock.

"Please don't freak out!" the genius told her quickly, noticing her reaction. "OK, I know it's probably scary and frightening, having an alien fall in love with you, but I didn't mean it! I mean, I did, but- GAH! I don't know. But one thing I do know...should have known...is that you'll never be with me. You can go ahead and say it. Who would ever want a blue skinned, giant headed, villainous..._thing_, anyway? In fact, don't say it, I know the answer already. It'll hurt too much to have you reject me and say no."

"How could I _ever_ say 'no' to a guy like you?"

It took Megamind a few moments to register what she'd just said, and when he did, his eyes widened into spheres and he stared at her openly. Shock completely filled his features. Was this a bluff? Or had she said what he thought she'd just said...?

"Wait..._what?_"

Smiling, Roxanne took his hand in hers and led him over to the couch in the corner of the room, before the pair took a seat.

"Now it's my turn," she began, before letting out a deep sigh. "Megamind...you really gave me a shock that day. And truth be told, I really had no other options but to get to know you better. I've always been curious to know more about you, and there was my chance, right in front of me. So I took it. I was also intrigued by how...unpredictable you proved yourself to be. And it didn't stop there. You're even more unpredictable than I thought; I never expected to enjoy myself in your company, and I certainly never expected for the dates to last as long as they did. But I found myself coming back for more, and I didn't even know why. But now I do."

Megamind found that hope was rising in his heart. Could this mean...?

"I really don't know how long I've been in denial for, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was long before these dates even happened," she continued. "I've been kidding myself about many things which I now know are true; that you're really a good person inside, your feelings for me, and...that the perfect guy I've been dreaming about was closer than I thought. He was right there the whole time, but I was too blind to see clearly. I really don't know what else to say to you other than...yes."

"Yes?" Megamind echoed, confused. "Yes what? I never asked you a question."

"Yes you did, Megamind," Roxanne informed, suppressing a giggle. "I never gave you a proper answer, so now I am. And the answer is yes."

It took a while, but eventually, it clicked. His eyes widened even more (if that was possible), and Roxanne could just see the excitement building up in those bright green orbs.

"You mean you-? You said- But Roxanne, look at me," he stammered. "How-? How can anyone-? Well, look at me!"

"I have," she replied. "And I've come to the conclusion that Meg...Soren...I'm in love with you."

Next thing she knew, Megamind was cackling with pure and utter joy mixed with excitement and happiness, followed by him picking her up and spinning her round. Roxanne laughed along with him, her excitement and emotions resurfacing to match his. The villain was shaking with pure happiness, and it made Roxanne realize just how much this meant to him. Yes, this was definitely the right decision. She didn't regret it even for a moment.

"Wait!" Megamind suddenly cried out, placing her down gently before he disappeared into another part of the Lair.

Roxanne could hear the sounds of items being thrown about in a mad rush, and assumed he was looking for something. What could he possibly be looking for? She had her answer when he reappeared holding something in his hand. It was a ring.

"I, er, made it when I was bored one day," he admitted. "Sometime after I...asked you. I thought that since you wanted to get to know me there was a chance, so..."

The reporter was at a loss for words; he'd made a ring for her? Admittedly, he couldn't exactly go and buy one, but still. It made it...special, knowing that he'd crafted the ring with his own hands. She held out her hand and allowed him to place the ring on her finger. It was a perfect fit. Gazing down at the ring, she adored how the ring was simple, yet unique at the same time. A small silver ring with a blue/green gemstone embedded into the metal. But as she gazed upon it...it disappeared!

"How did-?"

"I added that especially," Megamind explained. "I knew that you cared about public opinion, so you wouldn't want to be seen with it on your finger, since it would no doubt start rumours, and you wouldn't want to answer them, and-"

"Megamind."

"Yes?"

"Stop talking."

And with that, she pressed her lips to his, preventing him from saying another word. He didn't complain. This kiss was in some ways like the first, but at the same time, it wasn't. It was even better, if that was possible. It still had the same tenderness as the first, but it also had that fiery passion Roxanne had read so much about, when two people were in love and desired each other so much. But it also had so much more; like it represented that the pair no longer had to hide their feelings, and could show each other how strong their love was. It must be strong, Roxanne realized, if Megamind's actions were anything to show for it. His arms were around her completely, pulling her in deeper into the kiss and holding her tightly, as if she might disappear at any moment.

_That will never happen_, Roxanne promised both herself and Megamind as the kiss continued.

"Sir, since you're still feeling melon-colly, I thought I might bring you some doughnuts... oh."

The two lovers broke apart when Minion entered the room, carrying a box of doughnuts in one robotic hand whilst wearing his notoriously famous "kiss the cook" apron which Roxanne adored (much to Megamind's annoyance whenever he'd kidnapped her). Roxanne found herself blushing, but Megamind looked annoyed at being interrupted.

"I really should have put my "genius at work" sign up on the door," he muttered.

Roxanne just laughed. It was so easy to fall in love with him all over again.

"I didn't know Miss Ritchi was here," Minion continued. "I should have made more snacks. Oh, I should also make you some coffee, too!"

"No, it's OK, Minion," Roxanne assured him. "I just...well...I didn't plan on coming here...but..."

From what he'd seen, and from how the two of them were looking at one another, Minion didn't have to guess to know what had gone on between them. It was a pleasant surprise that their relationship had made it to this level, but did that mean...?

"You'll never guess what, Minion!" Megamind suddenly burst out, before the fish could even finish his chain of thought. "She said yes!"

"Yes? Yes to what?"

"Minion, I know goldfish have bad memories, but you don't," the genius sighed, palm in his face. "She said 'yes' to the 'question'!"

"What question?"

Another palm face. But when Minion's eyes shifted between the two of them, he finally got it. Instantly the doughnuts were dropped and the fish was picking his master up off the couch, spinning him round happily.

"Oh, sir! I'm so happy for you!" he cried happily. "To think, my little boy is growing up!"

"Minion, you're embarrassing me."

His flustering face made Roxanne laugh again; seeing the pair, and the excited Brainbots gathering round them, Roxanne knew she'd made the right choice. She needed excitement in her life, and even though she'd had that before, she hadn't had someone to share it with. Now she did. Minion suddenly felt that she needed to be included, so he picked her up with his other arm and hugged them both.

"Oh, I'm so happy for you two!" he exclaimed, squeezing all the air out of the pair as he hugged them. "I knew you were gonna end up together, I just knew it!"

"You didn't seem to think so before," Megamind pointed out, remembering their conversation a few months before.

"I know, I guess I was just worried," the fish told his master, placing both him and Roxanne down. "But now I realize that I've always had this gut feeling; you've always had that crush on her, sir, and Miss Ritchi never really hated you completely."

The pair blushed, looking away with awkward expressions on their faces.

"You probably knew it long before we did," Roxanne admitted.

"Oh, there's so much to do!" Minion began. "If there's going to be a wedding, you're going to need a dress, Roxanne, oh, and a cake too. How many people-"

"No one," Roxanne replied. "This won't be a big wedding, not that I ever wanted one. I mean, I have no shame in marrying you, Megamind, and would gladly shout it out my window and not care who hears. But if people knew there'd be problems. My mother would have my head, Metro Man would have yours, and no doubt I'd be taken away from you because everyone believes I've been brainwashed, or something like that."

"That's impossible," Megamind scoffed. "I was never able to make my brainwashing device gain control over the cells in the brain properly, and even if I was able to, a brainwashed person would look, walk and talk like a zombie. It's unavoidable."

The reporter had to roll her eyes at that. Despite who he really was underneath, the mad scientist side would never leave him, and she knew it. It was what made him, well, _him_. He wouldn't be the same without that side to him.

"So no cake and dress?" Minion asked.

"Oh no, I'd love a cake and a dress from you, Minion," Roxanne assured him. "Just don't go too over the top with it, that's all."

"I already have the flavours figured out!" the fish spoke excitedly. "And your dress would be perfect! I think blue might suit you, to match your eyes, _and_ sir! But sir, no peaking, because it's bad luck to see the dress before the wedding! Oh, and would you like me to fix a tuxedo for you?"

"Actually," Roxanne spoke up before Megamind could answer, "I'd like him to wear the cape and the spikes."

"Oh, I understand," Minion agreed with a knowing voice, before he hurried away, muttering things about strawberry and vanilla to himself.

"You've really made his day, you have," Megamind informed his beau.

"I didn't want him to feel left out," Roxanne admitted, before turning back to face him completely. "Now, where were we?"

"Oh, I remember."

Both smirking, they leaned in and kissed again, unafraid to show their true feelings for one another, resulting in the kiss become even more passionate than the second time. They were certain Minion wouldn't be disturbing them again, and the Brainbots had already scattered.

It wasn't a surprise that because they were so lost in themselves, they ended up falling over the arm of the couch, Megamind landing on top of Roxanne as they crashed into the pillows. The kiss was broken and their noses touched, and after a second of looking a little stunned, they just giggled together.

Blue eyes met green, and for a moment, the two were just content with lying there gazing at one another. Megamind raised a gentle hand and stroked Roxanne's cheek, earning a content sigh from her.

After all this time, he finally had the girl of his dreams. For the first time, the bad guy had gotten the girl.


	16. Unorthodox

You all thought I was done, right? Not quite! We still have the wedding to go!

I've never really been to many weddings; the ones that I _have_ been to were all when I was younger, so I don't remember much, and I can't find my parents' old wedding video. So if it seems wrong, then I apologize. Then again, this _is_ an unorthodox wedding, so I'm sure I can get away with it ;)

Just some songs which I thought went really well with this story:

Something There from _Beauty and the Beast_: ht tp: / / ww w. youtube. com / watch? v=D5uMOMGJwhU

I See the Light by Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi: ht tp: / / ww w. youtube. com / watch? v=zcL8sUijbo0 & feature=related

If I Never Knew You by Jon Secada and Shanice: ht tp: / / ww w. youtube. com / watch? v=kDQuJ0-iUSQ & feature=related

Accidentally in Love by Counting Crows: ht tp: / / ww w. youtube. com / watch? v=f8VQCZIryDc & feature=related

'I See the Light' and 'If I Never Knew You' are my AMVs, but the other two were made by other people.

* * *

Unorthodox

When Roxanne Ritchi first pictured her wedding day as a little girl, she pictured herself wearing a white dress just like a princess, standing next to a handsome prince as they said their vows. The cake would be an enormous chocolate one, covered in candy, and she would arrive and leave in a horse-pulled-carriage. It was a fantasy, and it had soon died as she'd grown older. By the time she was thirty she'd decided that she didn't want the typical white dress, or an enormous cake. She wanted to get married maybe somewhere exotic, and to have a unique wedding which would stand out among the rest.

She got a unique wedding, all right. But she'd never pictured it to be quite like this.

Not that she cared. Roxanne was marrying the man she loved, and that was all that mattered. They were stood in the centre of a fake observatory which had been built onto the Lair's roof, during one of Megamind's schemes two years before. It had been opened up so that the sunset was visible in the background, painting a picture perfect scene which Roxanne had always dreamed about. Well, mostly.

She and Megamind were stood facing one another, holding each other's hands with loving looks on their faces. Roxanne wore a sky blue dress, it's colour matching Megamind's skin, whilst the genius wore his usual cape and spikes, just like Roxanne had requested. Minion was stood behind his master, along with one of the Brainbots, and the pink Brainbot was floating behind Roxanne holding a basket of flowers. Many other Brainbots were watching the ceremony from above – apart from one, which was floating right next to a very nervous and shaking vicar.

The middle aged man glanced sideways at the Brainbot; it gave a little growl, causing the poor man to hurriedly skip a few pages of his book. He'd been told to make it short and simple, which he had no reason to argue with. The sooner her got this over with, the sooner he could get the heck outta here.

"The-The-The r-ring-s?" he stammered, glancing over at Minion.

The fish quickly brought out a pair of newly made rings, handing one each to the couple before he stood back again. He raised a robotic hand and wiped his bowl, as if he were wiping away a tear.

"D-D-Do you, Mr. Meg-Megamind take this-this woman, to be your-your lawfully...wed-wed-wedded wife...to have and to...h-h-hold, to l-love and to ch-cherish, in sick-n-ness and in-in health, from this day f-forwards, till death d-do you part?"

"I do," Megamind replied without hesitation, his green eyes gazing deeply into Roxanne's as he slipped the ring onto her finger.

The woman gave a shy giggle when the ring turned invisible, disappearing from her view.

"And d-d-do you, Roxanne Ri-Ritchi take this...th-this man, t-t-to be your lawfully wed-wedded husband, to h-h-have and to...hold, to love a-and to cherish, in s-sickness and in h-health, f-from this d-d-day forwards, t-till death do y-y-you p-part?"

"I do," Roxanne replied, just as boldly as Megamind as she slipped the second ring onto his finger.

It disappeared as well, and Megamind smiled even wider.

"Then b-b-by the p-power invest-ed in m-m-m-me," the vicar continued, still stammering over his words in a nervous voice, "I n-now p-p-pronounce you...h-husband...and w-wife."

They didn't need him to say anything more; the newly wed couple practically leapt forwards and kissed with a fiery passion, as the Brainbots in the background made noises which would be their own way of cheering. Another Brainbot brought forwards the papers; Megamind and Roxanne signed it, followed by Minion and the other Brainbot as witnesses, and lastly, by the vicar with a shaking hand. The moment he was finished, Minion whacked him round the head with the Forget-Me-Stick.

"We can't have him telling anyone," the fish explained to Roxanne, before carrying the vicar away to deposit him...wherever he'd found him in the first place.

"Well," Roxanne began, allowing herself to sigh, "that was certainly unusual. I mean that in a good way. Normal weddings are just too long and too formal. Not enough excitement."

"So was that exciting enough for you?" her new alien husband asked.

"Mm-hmm."

They kissed again, never getting enough of it.

"It's a shame we have to carry on with life as normal," Roxanne sighed in annoyance. "I know I'll be moving in with you, but having to keep up the kidnappings and the plots will just be hard."

"At least the kidnappings would be more..._interesting_," Megamind hinted, stealing another kiss.

Roxanne kissed him back, silently agreeing. Yes, life would definitely be hard with the two of them married, having to keep it a secret as well as continue with how things were before. She realized how difficult it would be, being rescued and carried away by Metro Man whilst her husband was taken to jail. She wondered how much they'd really see each other when all that wasn't going on. But Roxanne had known what she was getting herself into when she agreed to marry him, and she didn't regret her decision.

When Minion arrived back, the after party started. Cake was shared round and eaten (or just chewed on and scattered everywhere by the Brainbots), followed by Megamind and Roxanne dancing their first dance together as a married couple...to none other than Michael Jackson's _Bad_. This was followed by many AC/DC hits, along with a few other slow dances from Roxanne's playlist.

And when the clocks in the Lair struck midnight, everyone began to turn in for the night. Minion rounded up all the Brainbots and made sure they settled down whilst Megamind and Roxanne made their way towards the bedroom. But Roxanne noticed that her new husband looked rather nervous.

"Is something wrong, Meg...Soren?" she asked, reminding herself to call him by his proper name more often.

"No, don't worry, it's just..." he began, before letting out a sigh, "I read about what married couples normally do on the night after the wedding, and well...I've never really done that before, so..."

Roxanne immediately understood. She took his hands in hers, giving him a look of pure love in order to help reassure him.

"It's OK," she told him. "Everyone's nervous on their first time. It's something we're not used to, and it's something new. But I'm sure everything will be fine."

"Wait a minute..." Megamind realized. "You mean you've..."

"Remember that I've never been in a proper relationship before," Roxanne reminded him. "I never got this far with those three guys, and I never let Metro Man anywhere near me. So this is new for both of us."

"New is exciting, I must agree," Megamind spoke softly, bringing his mouth to her ear. "And this will definitely be exciting for you, Wife."

"I hope so, Husband," Roxanne whispered back.

"Husband and Wife," Megamind said aloud to himself. "You know...I _like_ the sound of that."

And with that, he scooped Roxanne up into his arms and carried her the rest of the way to his bedroom, the pair laughing all the way. It was time to start their lives together, because they were twenty years overdue to do so.

* * *

And there you have it. Thank you SO much to those who took the time to follow, read and review this story! Especially to those of you who reviewed; this story passed the 200 reviews mark! My third Megamind story to do so, and my fifth in total! So THANK YOU for that!

I have another one shot planned for this story, set after this one but before the original one 'It was Just Meant to Be'. That should hopefully be uploaded soon. And if I do write anything else for this story universe, it'll be drabbles, which will be posted in my 'Mega Drabbles' series.

Once again, THANK YOU!


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